For Dan Morgan, sharing the news that he’d finally been selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame was emotional and special. There’s no doubt Morgan’s pending induction into the College Football Hall of Fame puts him in some very exclusive company.
According to the Hall, only 0.02 percent of college football players and coaches can claim the same honor. Of the 78 FBS players on this year’s ballot, Morgan was one of 11 first-team All-Americans to make the cut.
And despite Miami’s storied football history, Morgan will become just the ninth former player to join the Hall along with Bennie Blades, Don Bosseler, Ted Hendricks, Russell Maryland, Ed Reed, Vinny Testaverde, Gino Torretta and Arnold Tucker.
Former Hurricanes coaches Dennis Erickson, Andy Gustafson, Jack Harding and Jimmy Johnson are also enshrined and for Morgan – who is now the director of player personnel for the Buffalo Bills – having his name linked to those Miami greats is the stuff of dreams.
“I wanted to play at Miami ever since I was a little kid. To be able to go there and play linebacker there – there’s so many great linebackers that have come through there,” Morgan said. “I just wanted to live up to their expectations and be the best that I could be. It all worked out well and I’m just proud I could represent them in the Hall of Fame.”
Morgan – who was recruited out of Broward County’s Taravella High School as a fullback – more than lived up to those expectations once he switched to playing linebacker at Miami.
His 532 career tackles make him the Hurricanes’ all-time leader in that category. He led the team in tackles three of his four years on campus and in 2000, Morgan became the first player in history to sweep college football’s three major defensive awards in a single season when he won the Bednarik, Butkus and Nagurski Awards.
That same season, he was a unanimous First Team All-American and the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. He was a four-year starter at Miami and a three-time captain, becoming the first sophomore in Hurricanes history to earn that distinction.
After his stellar college career, Morgan was drafted 11th by the Carolina Panthers in the 2001 NFL Draft and it was there that he earned All-Rookie team honors and was a 2004 Pro Bowl selection. He made a Super-Bowl record 18 tackles in the Panthers’ 32-29 loss to the Patriots – though coaches in Carolina tabulated that number even higher.
For more on Morgan click here: https://miamihurricanes.com/news/2021/01/11/morgan-celebrates-hall-of-fame-moment/