FAYETTEVILLE — Dan Hampton, who played defensive line for the Arkansas Razorbacks from 1975-78, was announced Monday among 22 individuals who were elected to the College Football Hall of Fame's class of 2024.
Hampton was an All-American as a senior defensive tackle in 1978 when he recorded 98 tackles, including 18 for loss. The Houston Post named Hampton the 1978 Southwest Conference player of the year.
Hampton finished his Arkansas career with 237 tackles and was named All-SWC twice.
Then-Arkansas coach Frank Broyles signed Hampton in 1975 out of Jacksonville High School. Hampton was in the high school band when he was persuaded to play football his junior year.
“I was probably the 29th recruit, OK?” Hampton told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in 2020. “I was a big, tall, skinny geek. All these other guys were like the big, prized recruits. Sure that spurred me on. I wanted to be a show pony and I wasn’t, but I wanted to. It made me work hard. It made me work harder.”
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Playing for head coach Lou Holtz as part of a defense coordinated by future NFL legend Monte Kiffin, Hampton excelled as a junior in 1977 as the Razorbacks finished 11-1 and ranked third nationally.
Arkansas went 9-2-1 and finished ranked 11th his senior year.
The Chicago Bears drafted him fourth overall in the 1979 NFL Draft. He played 12 seasons for the Bears.
In 1982, Hampton was voted defensive player of the year Pro Football Weekly, and in 1985 he was part of the Super Bowl championship team that featured the "46 defense" that is considered one of the greatest in NFL history.
Hampton was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
“It’s funny. My first couple of years in college, it was like it wasn’t clicking,” Hampton told the Democrat-Gazette in 2020. “Then all of a sudden, it really clicked, and boom!
“Same thing in the pros. My first training camp and the first month of the season, I didn’t know the nuances of pass rush, because there’s so much holding. A friend of mine said, ‘You need to watch Lee Roy Selmon,’ who was a great defensive end. So I’m watching him on film and all of a sudden it clicked. All he’s doing is he’s getting people off balance, and then countering. That became the basis of my pass rushing.”
Hampton is the 17th former Arkansas football player or head coach elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, which is located in Atlanta. He is the first former Razorback to be elected since running back Darren McFadden in 2019.
The 2024 class will be inducted Dec. 10 as part of the National Football Foundation Awards Dinner in Las Vegas.
2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class
PLAYERS
Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State (2009-11)
Paul Cameron, TB, UCLA (1951-53)
Tim Couch, QB, Kentucky (1996-98)
Warrick Dunn, RB, Florida State (1993-96)
Armanti Edwards, QB, Appalachian State (2006-09)
Deon Figures, CB, Colorado (1988, 1990-92)
Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Pittsburgh (2002-03)
Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford (2006-09)
Dan Hampton, DT, Arkansas (1975-78)
Steve Hutchinson, OG, Michigan (1997-2000)
Antonio Langham, CB, Alabama (1990-93)
Randy Moss, WR, Marshall (1996-97)
Julius Peppers, DE, North Carolina (1999-2001)
Paul Posluszny, LB, Penn State (2003-06)
Dewey Selmon, NG, Oklahoma (1972-75)
Alex Smith, QB, Utah (2002-04)
Kevin Smith, CB, Texas A&M (1988-91)
Chris Ward, OT, Ohio State (1974-77)
Danny Woodhead, RB, Chadron (Neb.) State (2004-07)
COACHES
Mark Dantonio — 132-74 (Cincinnati, 2004-06; Michigan State, 2007-19)
Danny Hale — 213-69-1 (West Chester, 1984-88; Bloomsburg, 1993-2012)
Frank Solich — 173-101 (Nebraska, 1998-2003; Ohio, 2005-20)