Former NFL greats Walter Payton, Jerry Rice and Deacon Jones and coaching legend Eddie Robinson will be among the inaugural induction class of the Black College Football Hall of Fame that will include 8 players, two coaches and a journalist.
Atlanta's Hall, founded last year to honor notable figures from historically black colleges, will induct the 11 on Feb. 20 during a ceremony to be hosted by ESPN "Monday Night Football" analyst Jon Gruden, the organization said Monday.
Joining Payton (Jackson State, 1971-74), Rice (Mississippi Valley State, 1981-84), Jones (S.C. State & Mississippi Valley State, 1958-60) and Robinson (Grambling State 1941-97) to be selected for the Hall's 2010 class were:
• Buck Buchanan, a defensive end for Grambling State (1959-1963);
• Willie Galimore, a running back for Florida A&M (1953-1956);
• Willie Lanier, a linebacker for Morgan State (1963-1967);
• Ben Stevenson, a running back for Tuskegee (1923-1930);
• Paul Younger, a running back-defensive back for Grambling State (1945-1948);
• Alonzo Gaither, Florida A&M's head coach from 1945 to 1969;
• Bill Nunn Jr., a former NFL scout and journalist for the Pittsburgh Courier.
Hall co-founder and former NFL quarterback Doug Williams said in October that Atlanta was chosen because its "central proximity holds more than half of the nation's HBCUs."
Atlanta is also home to the College Football Hall of Fame after its recent move from South Bend, Ind.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.