Richard Dent going into Black College Football HOF

Former Tennessee State All-American defensive end Richard Dent will be inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2015. He was among seven players going into the Hall from a list of 25 finalists. (courtesy photo)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Former Tennessee State All-American defensive end Richard Dent will be inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

Dent is among seven players going into the Hall from a list of 25 finalists. The announcement was made Wednesday.

Dent was a three-time All-American who recorded 39 sacks during his TSU career (1979-82) along with 158 tackles.

TSU retired Dent’s jersey No. 95 in 2013 after he became the first former Tigers player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

Dent was an eighth-round pick of the Chicago Bears in the 1983 NFL draft. In 1986 he was named most valuable player of Super Bowl XX.

In his 15 NFL seasons, which also included stints with the 49ers, Colts and Eagles, Dent recorded 137.5 sacks.

Joining Dent in the Black College Football Hall of Fame 2015 class is Roger Brown (Maryland Eastern Shore), L.C. Greenwood (Arkansas at Pine Bluff), Ernie “Big Cat” Ladd (Grambling State), Ken Riley (Florida A&M), Donnie Shell (South Carolina State) and Coach W.C. Gorden (Jackson State). The seven were selected by a 13-member committee of journalists, commentators, historians and former NFL executives.

Inductees will be honored at the Sixth annual Black College Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta on Feb. 28, 2015.

The Hall was established in 2009 to honor the best players and coaches from historically black colleges and universities. The additional seven inductees now brings the number to 58. Among those already enshrined are Grambling’s Buck Buchanan, Mississippi Valley State’s David “Deacon” Jones, Bethune-Cookman’s Larry Little, Alcorn State’s Steve McNair, Jackson State’s Walter Payton, Mississippi Valley State’s Jerry Rice, Alabama A&M wide receiver John Stallworth, Texas Southern defensive end Michael Strahan and Grambling coach Eddie Robinson.

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About Tennessee State University

With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 42 undergraduate, 24 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.