FLORENCE, Ala. --  The Division II Football Hall of Fame will induct Tyrone Poole and John Mobley as its Class of 2012 on December 14 at the 27th Annual Harlon Hill Trophy and Division II Football Hall of Fame Banquet at 6:30 p.m. (Central) at the Marriott Shoals Conference Center in Florence, Ala. 

PDF of 2012 Release

Established in 1999, the Division II Football Hall of Fame inducted former Division II players annually from 1999-2009 before inducting its first class of coaches in 2010. This year's inductees brings the total number of players inducted to 29 and the total number of coaches to four. 

The inductees were chosen by a  selection committee and the official announcement was made Wednesday by Division II Football Hall of Fame Chairman Jeff Hodges. 

Both Poole and Mobley were consensus All-Americans in their collegiate days, were first round draft picks into the National Football League and were a part of two Super Bowl Championship teams. They were also teammates with the Denver Broncos in 2002.

Poole was a consensus All-American pick at cornerback as a senior at Fort Valley State (Ga.) University in 1994 and was a first-round draft pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 1995 NFL Draft. He went on to a 13-year career in the National Football League and was a part of two Super Bowl Championship teams with the New England Patriots. 

During his days at Fort Valley State, Poole helped lead the Wildcats to two Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships and was a first-team All-SIAC pick in 1993 and 1994. He was named SIAC Defensive Player of the Year in 1994 and was named All-American by the Associated Press and the American Football Coaches Association. He was named to the Division II Team of the Quarter Century in 1997.

He was the 22nd overall selection in the 1995 NFL draft by the Carolina  Panthers, making him the first Fort Valley State player to be drafted in the first round. He was named to the NFL "All Rookie Team" in 1995 and helped lead Carolina to a 12-4 regular season record and its first NFC West title in only the franchise's second year of existence. 

During his 13-year NFL career he started 112 games, made 406 tackles and picked off 18 passes that he returned for 231 yards.

Poole is the second Division II Football Hall of Fame inductee from Fort Valley State, joining 2001 inductee Greg Lloyd. 

Poole has authored a book, "Ultimate Success in the Game of Life," and he also established the Tyrone Poole 38 Foundation. 

Mobley played linebacker from 1991-95 at Kutztown University (Pa.) and was an Associated Press All-American as a senior. He was the 15th overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft by the Denver and went on to win two Super Bowls with the Broncos during his eight seasons (1996-2003) with the franchise before his career was cut short by an injury.

In his time at Kutztown, Mobley played 40 games for the Golden Bears and recorded 198 unassisted tackles, 187 assisted tackles, 387 total tackles, 23 pass break-ups, eight fumble recoveries, 19 sacks and eight 8 interceptions (2 TDs). In 1995, he was named AP Little All-American, All-Northeast Region, All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and ECAC All-Star.

A three-time All-PSAC pick, Mobley was also KU's short yardage back and return specialist as a senior, scoring five touchdowns on 12 carries.

He was named KU's Athlete and Senior Athlete of the year for 1995-96 and was named to the Division II Team of the Quarter Century in 1997. 

During his career in the NFL, Mobley played in 105 career games, starting 102 of them for the Broncos, including two Super Bowls. He made 608 career tackles, has 10.5 quarterback sacks and five interceptions for 45 yards and a touchdown.

He started at linebacker as a rookie for the Broncos, helping the team to the playoffs and the best record in the National Football League.

In Super Bowl XXXII, Mobley deflected a Brett Favre pass on 4th and 6 from the 31-yard-line with just over 30 seconds left in the game. The deflection sealed a 31-24 victory for the Broncos.

In 1997 he had 132 tackles and four sacks for Denver and was selected  All-Pro that season.

Mobley is the second Division II Football Hall of Fame inductee from Kutztown, joining 2002 inductee Andre Reed. 

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     The initial class of inductees in 1999 included running back Johnny Bailey of Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville), quarterback Jeff Bentrim of North Dakota State and  the late Walter Payton of Jackson State University. 

In 2000,  defensive lineman Harry Carson  of South Carolina State University, defensive lineman Pierce Holt of Angelo State University, and wide receiver John Stallworth of Alabama A&M were inducted.

In 2001 the  third class was comprised of tight end Brent Jones of Santa Clara University, linebacker Greg Lloyd of Fort Valley State University and quarterback Ken O'Brien of the University of California-Davis. 

Quarterback Scott Brunner of Delaware, receiver Andre Reed of Kutztown and linebacker Jessie Tuggle of Valdosta State comprised the 2002 class. 

Former Texas A&M-Kingsville and Washington Redskins standout Darrell Green was inducted in 2003, and former North Dakota State and Buffalo Bills standout Phil Hansen was inducted in 2004. 

The 2005 class included Chris Hatcher of Valdosta State, Ronald Moore of Pittsburg State and Donnie Shell of South Carolina State. 

Cody Gross of North Alabama,  John Randle of Texas A&M-Kingsville and Sean Landeta of Towson State were inducted in 2006. 

The 2007  inductees included Earl Dotson of Texas A&M-Kingsville, Ronald McKinnon of North Alabama and Mike Turk of Troy State.  Missouri Southern's Rod Smith was the 24th inductee into the Hall in 2008 and Shannon Sharpe of Savannah State was the 25th in 2009.

The Class of 2010 included coaches Ken Sparks of Carson-Newman, Mel Tjeerdsma of Northwest Missouri State and Bobby Wallace of North Alabama and West Alabama.

In 2011, former Mississippi College standout Fred McAfee and former Jacksonville (Ala.) State head coach Bill Burgess were inducted. 

The Division II Football Hall of Fame is housed at  Braly Municipal Stadium, which has hosted the Division II Football Championship Game since 1986. 

     The 40th annual Division II Football Championship Game will be played at Braly Stadium at  11 a.m. on December 15, 2012, and the Harlon Hill Trophy presentation to the Division II Player of the Year, and the Hall of Fame inductions are part of the Shoals area's championship week activities. 

    The Division II Football Hall of Fame is  sponsored by The City of Florence, Florence-Lauderdale Tourism, OptiNet, Herff Jones and the Marriott Shoals Hotel and Spa. 

Tickets are $50 each or $400 for a table of eight and are available by calling the Shoals Chamber of Commerce (256) 764-4661 or the UNA Sports Information Office at (256) 765-4595.