NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tiger great and NFL standout Claude Humphrey has been selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Humphrey, along with Ray Guy, earned the 80 percent positive vote to earn election. Humphrey and Guy are joined by Derrick Brooks, Walter Jones, Andre Reed, Michael Strahan and Aeneas Williams as the Class of 2014. The Enshrinement Ceremony will take place on Saturday, Aug. 2, at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
Humphrey was an All-American defensive tackle at TSU who went on to be one of the greatest passes rushers in the National Football League. Humphrey played for the Tigers from 1964 to 1967. He was initially an Offensive Tackle, but was switched to Defensive End in his freshman year, where he became a three-time All-American.
During his senior season, Humphrey played in four college all-star games: the Senior Bowl, the Blue-Gray Game, the Coaches All-American Game and the College All-Star game.
Humphrey ended his collegiate career as the all-time leader in sacks at TSU with 39. Currently, he is tied for second behind Lamar Carter along with fellow TSU legend and NFL Hall of Famer Richard Dent.
He was selected in the first round of the 1968 NFL Draft going third overall to the Atlanta Falcons. During his rookie season in Atlanta, he was name AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Humphrey played 13 seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons (1968-74, 76-77) and the Philadelphia Eagles (1979-81).
While with Atlanta, he was named All-NFL or All-Pro eight times and was selected to the Pro Bowl on six different occasions.
During the 1980 season with the Eagles, Humphrey totaled a team-high 14.5 sacks on the way to an NFC Championship and an appearance in Super Bowl XV.
Even though the sack didn’t become an official NFL statistic until after he retired, Humphrey is still credited with 122 career sacks, including holding the all-time career sacks mark for the Falcons with 94.5.
Humphrey is in the Tennessee State University Hall of Fame, the Georgia Hall of Fame, the Atlanta Sports Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Hall of Fame, the Atlanta Falcons Hall of Fame, and his high schools Hall of Fame. Humphrey’s college and high schools both retired his jersey.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With nearly 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.