Football

Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier headlines the 2023 Black College Football Hall of Fame class.

The Black College Football Hall of Fame announced Frazier, Henry Lawrence, Albert Lewis, Jim Marsalis, Tyrone McGriff, Elijah Pitts, Johnie Walton and Pete Richardson were selected for induction among a group of 25 finalists.

Notable finalists who didn't make the cut this year include Antoine Bethea, Verlon Biggs, Joe Adams and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

The class is determined from a vote by the 11-person selection committee, which is made up of journalists, historians, commentators and members of the Black College Football Hall of Fame.

"This Class is another representation of the immense football talent that has played at historically black colleges and universities," Black College Football Hall of Fame co-founder Doug Williams said of the 2023 class. "Several of these players were college All-Americans, high NFL draft picks and Pro Bowlers."

Frazier had a five-year playing career in the NFL with the Chicago Bears from 1981 to 1985. He won a Super Bowl in his final season as a player and as an assistant coach on Tony Dungy's staff with the Indianapolis Colts in the 2006 season.

Prior to entering the NFL, Frazier played college football at Alcorn State from 1978 to 1980. He recorded 20 interceptions and was named to the All-SWAC Defensive first team in 1979.

Lawrence was a standout player at Florida A&M before becoming a first-round draft pick by the Oakland Raiders in 1974. He was a two-time Pro Bowler and three-time Super Bowl champion during his 13-year NFL career.

Lewis played cornerback at Grambling State from 1979 to 1982. He had a successful 16-year NFL career that included stints with the Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2007.

Marsalis went to college at Tennessee A&I (now known as Tennessee State). The Chiefs selected him No. 23 overall in the 1969 NFL draft. He was named to the Pro Bowl and won a Super Bowl as a rookie.

McGriff was a three-time All-American offensive lineman at Florida A&M from 1977 to 1979. He also began his coaching career at his alma mater as an assistant in 1986 after his playing career came to an end.

McGriff died at the age of 42 due to a heart attack in December 2000.

Pitts played football at Philander Smith in Little Rock, Arkansas. He won five NFL championships and two Super Bowls as a player with the Green Bay Packers.

Walton played quarterback and served as head coach at Elizabeth City State College. He was named to the All-CIAA team as a player in 1968. The North Carolina native went 25-24-2 in two stints as head coach for the Vikings.

Richardson spent 22 seasons as a head coach from 1988 to 2009. He began his college coaching career at Winston-Salem State, going 41-14-1 with three playoff appearances.

After leaving Winston-Salem State to take the same position at Southern University, Richardson won 128 games in 17 years. He led the Jaguars to the Heritage Bowl six times, with four victories.

The 2023 Black College Football Hall of Fame class will be inducted at a ceremony at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta on June 10.

The NFL announced the eight finalists for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award on Thursday, and a trio of running backs lead the way.

Aaron Jones of the Green Bay Packers, Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns and Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings were among the players nominated for the award:

The Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award was introduced in 2014 and named after late Pittsburgh Steelers founding owner Art Rooney Sr. Per Packers reporter Wes Hodkiewicz, the award "recognizes players who best demonstrate the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents and integrity in competition."

The eight finalists were selected from 32 nominees by a panel of former players made up of Warrick Dunn, Curtis Martin, Leonard Wheeler and Larry Fitzgerald, who chose four finalists from each of the AFC and NFC.

The finalists will be included on the Pro Bowl ballot under the NFL Sportsmanship Award category when NFL players can begin voting later this month. Each team will submit a consensus vote for one of the finalists, and a team cannot vote for its own player.

Fitzgerald was the first honoree to receive the award. Last season's winner was New England Patriots special teamer Matthew Slater.

This year's selection will be announced as part of the NFL Honors show on Feb. 9 prior to Super Bowl LVII. The winner will get to make a $25,000 donation via the NFL Foundation to the charity of his choosing.