AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 2001
JONES, LLOYD, AND
O'BRIEN TO BE INDUCTED INTO DIVISION II HALL OF FAME
FLORENCE, Ala. -- Three
legends of NCAA Division II football will be honored on
December 7 as the third class of inductees into the Division II Football
Hall of Fame in Florence, Ala. Former Santa Clara University tight
end Brent Jones, former Fort Valley State University linebacker Greg Lloyd, and former University of California Davis
quarterback Ken O'Brien comprise the 2001 class of inductees into
the Division II Football Hall of Fame. The three inductees were
chosen by a 20-member selection
committee and were announced Tuesday by Division II Football Hall of
Fame voting coordinator Dee Corum. The trio will be inducted on December
7 as part of a combined Harlon Hill Trophy and Division II
Football Hall of Fame Banquet at 6:30 p.m. at the Florence Conference
Center.
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. The 2000 class
of inductees included 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.
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 28th annual
Division II Football Championship Game will be played at Braly Stadium
at 1 p.m. on December 8, 2000, 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 Coca-Cola, The
Florence Utilities Gas Department, The Real Yellow Pages from BellSouth
and Northwest Airlink.
Tickets are $35 each or $280 for a table of eight and are available by
calling Shirley Tucker at (256) 764-4661 or the UNA Sports Information
Office at (256) 765-4595.
 Jones,
a four-year letterman at Santa Clara from 1982-85, said he was honored
to be inducted into the Division II Football Hall of Fame, especially
considering the list of inductees. "I became aware of the
hall of fame a couple of years ago and you have to be impressed with the
type players who were being honored," said Jones, now a National
Football League analyst for CBS. "To see Walter Payton, John
Stallworth and those guys being selected made a big impact. People
lose sight of the fact that some of the greatest players in the history
of the National Football League and college football came from Division
II. "Anyone would love to be a part of something that
involves the great players who have already been selected and the great
players who will be selected in the future. I knew immediately this was
something I wanted to be part of. I just thought I would have to
wait." Jones was named Kodak, Associated Press and Football
News All-American in 1985 as a senior. He was also a three-time
All-Western Football Conference selection form 1983-85. He ranks
first at Santa Clara in receptions with 137, fourth in receiving yards
with 2,267, fourth in scoring with 200 points and third in touchdown
receptions with 24. He holds the SCU single-game record for
touchdown receptions in a game with three. His top game was 176
yards receiving against Sonoma State in 1982. In 1997, Jones was
named to the Division II Football Team of the Quarter Century.
Jones signed as a free agent with the San Francisco 49ers in 1987 after
originally being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Over the next
eight years (1988-94), he caught 295 passes for 3,789 yards and 27
touchdowns. He was selected All-Pro in 1993 and 1994 and played in
the
Pro Bowl in 1991, 1993, and 1994. In 1990, he set a 49ers record
for yards receiving by a tight end with 747. He played on Super
Bowl championship squads in 1988, 1989 and 1994.
 Lloyd,
a standout at Fort Valley State from 1983-86, said it was nice to be
remembered for what he accomplished in college. "This is a
great honor that I truly appreciate," said Lloyd. "I feel
honored to have been chosen along with so many other great players of
Division II. "Players, when they leave the game, often feel
that out of sight is out of mind. For someone to come and tell me they
appreciate what I did almost 16 years ago in college is a big honor to
me personally. Lloyd said it is also a special honor for his
family. "I have a son in the seventh grade and he's just
thrilled about it, too. He said it was awesome. And I think that's good,
too. It's good for him to see what can be accomplished if you maintain
the attitude that you want to be the best and work toward that. It
doesn't matter where you start. You can still get there."
Lloyd was a three-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
selection, Fort Valley State's "Defensive MVP" three times,
SIAC "Player of the Year" (1986), first-team Sheridan
All-America (1986), and a Harlon Hill Trophy candidate (1986) during his
collegiate career. He holds Fort Valley State's record for most
sacks in a career (32). He helped lead the team to two SIAC
Championships (1983, 1985) and an appearance in the NCAA Division II
playoffs (1985). The 1985 team achieved its highest ranking ever
in the Division II Poll (No. 2) that season. The defensive unit
was also ranked #1 in the nation in Division II in 1985 in scoring
defense, pass defense and total defense. During Lloyd's tenure at
Fort Valley, the Wildcats were 33-9. In 1997, Lloyd was selected
as a member of the Division II Football Team of the Quarter
Century. Lloyd was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth
round of the 1987 draft and played the next 10 seasons with the
Steelers. After being on the injured reserve list for all of
the 1987 season and most of 1988, he cracked into the starting lineup in
1989 and went on the be named Steelers MVP in 1991 and 1994. He
was a perennial All-Pro selection, earning numerous trips to the
Pro-Bowl (1992-96). He was on the Sporting News NFL All-Pro team
in 1994 and 1995. He also received the Steelers Ed Block Courage
Award in 1988. He made 547 tackles, recorded 56 total sacks and
caused 34 fumbles as a Steeler. He was named to the All-Madden
Team during his career and helped lead the Steelers to Super Bowl XXX in
1996. He signed with Carolina in 1998 and played the remainder of his
career with the Panthers.
 O'Brien,
a three-year letterman at the University of California-Davis from
1980-82, said he was excited to be inducted. "This is a great
honor because there have been so many great players in Division
II," said O'Brien. "It's also exciting to be inducted in this
class." During his career as quarterback with the Aggies,
O'Brien rolled up 6,673 passing yards, completing 470 passes for
44 touchdowns. O'Brien passed for a career high 413 yards in a
single game in 1982, setting a single-game passing record in the UC
Davis books. He added another UC Davis record when he
recorded 2,976 total yards in a season in 1982. He also holds a
school record in pass attempts in a career with 820. O'Brien was a 1982
first-team All-American and was awarded UC Davis honors that included
the Colby E. Slater Award (UC Davis male Athlete of the Year), the Jerry
Norris Award (Most Valuable and Inspirational Award), and the T. Palmer
Moody Award (outstanding sophomore). From college, he was taken
in the 1983 draft as the 24th overall pick, becoming the No.1 pick
of the New York Jets. Professionally he played 10 seasons
from 1983-92 with the Jets. He completed 2,039 of 3,465 passes for
24,386 yards and 124 touchdowns. He led the Jets in passing form
1985-91. His passing totals in 1985 (3,818), which led the AFC,
and 1986 (3,690) rank second and third, respectively, in Jets history
behind only Joe Namath's 1967 season. His 96-yard TD pass in
1985 ranks as the longest in Jets history. He was voted Most
Valuable Player by his teammates in 1985 and awarded the Ed Block Award
(Most Courageous Player) by his teammates in 1989. O'Brien was
inducted into the UC Davis Hall of Fame in 1990 and was inducted into
the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.
|
