NU's Fitzgerald joins Aikman in College Hall of Fame

NEW YORK - Troy Aikman, Billy Cannon, Lou Holtz and Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald are among the 15 former players and coaches elected Thursday to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Fitzgerald, now the coach of the NU Wildcats, is the 15th Northwestern player and/or coach to be inducted into College Football's Hall of Fame. He was a linebacker on two Big Ten title teams.

"I'm truly honored and humbled with this incredible honor," said Fitzgerald. "This achievement speaks to the success of our teams that won Big Ten championships in 1995 and 1996. My teammates are as much a part of this as I am."

Aikman started his college career at Oklahoma, then transferred to UCLA. After two stellar seasons (1987-88) with the Bruins, he was drafted first overall by the Dallas Cowboys.

Holtz coached six schools to 249 victories in a career that spanned more than 30 years. He won a national title with Notre Dame in 1988.

Cannon played tailback for LSU from 1957-59, winning the Heisman Trophy his senior year.

The other 1o players chosen by the National Football Foundation's selection committee are Virginia offensive tackle Jim Dombrowski; Florida linebacker Wilber Marshall; Washington State running back Ruben Mayes; Arizona State guard Randall McDaniel; Syracuse quarterback Don McPherson; Wyoming tight end Jay Novacek; Texas Tech split end Dave Parks; Florida State nose guard Ron Simmons; Oklahoma State running back Thurman Thomas, and Army quarterback Arnold Tucker.

John Cooper, who went 192-84-6 with Tulsa, Arizona State and Ohio State, is the other coach selected for induction.

The latest class will be inducted at the NFF banquet in New York in December and enshrined in the summer of 2009 at the Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.