BATON ROUGE – Kevin Faulk, LSU’s all-time leading rusher, and one of the top all-purpose backs in college football history, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2022 Tuesday in Las Vegas.
“All praise goes to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Faulk said. “This is an honor that wouldn’t be possible without my great teammates, coaches and everyone who helped me along the way. It’s a tremendous honor, but for me it was a team effort. I’m so humbled and honored to be included among the great list of players and coaches in the Hall of Fame Class for 2022.”
“Kevin Faulk is the epitome of an all-purpose player, still holding the title as LSU's all-time leading rusher and the SEC’s leader in career all-purpose yards,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “We are thrilled to honor him in Death Valley for his upcoming College Football Hall of Fame induction.”
A 1996 First Team All-American as an all-purpose player, Faulk still holds the all-time SEC record with 6,833 all-purpose yards, a mark that was fourth in FBS history when he finished his career. During that 1996 season, he led the SEC in all-purpose yards and ranked second in the league in rushing.
Faulk followed up his All-America campaign by leading the SEC in rushing during both his junior and senior seasons, and he also topped the league in scoring as a senior. The three-time First Team All-SEC selection was the first player in LSU history to average more than 100 yards per game during his entire career.
Setting 11 school records by career's end, Faulk still holds LSU career marks for rushing yards (4,577), rushing touchdowns (46), all-purpose yards (6,833) and 100-yard rushing games (22). The 1995 SEC Freshman of the Year ranks fourth in the conference in career rushing yards and is tied for third in career rushing touchdowns.
A two-time LSU MVP, Faulk led the Tigers to two top-15 final rankings and three bowl victories, earning offensive MVP honors following the 1995 Independence Bowl after setting LSU bowl records with 234 rushing yards and 271 all-purpose yards. Faulk owns LSU's single-game all-purpose yards record (376 vs. Houston, 1996), and ranks fifth in school history with 832 punt return yards.
He is also a member of the LSU Athletics and State of Louisiana Sports halls of fame.
Taken in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, Faulk spent his entire 13-year career with the franchise. The 2016 New England Patriots Hall of Fame inductee led the team to three Super Bowl titles (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX), and he holds the franchise record for career all-purpose yards.
Following his pro career, Faulk served as an assistant football coach from 2013-17 at his former high school, Carencro High School in Lafayette, Louisiana. He then served on the coaching staff at his alma mater, LSU, from 2018-21. He annually hosts a free youth football camp in Louisiana, and he founded the Kevin Faulk Foundation to support youth. He is the cousin of 2017 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Marshall Faulk from San Diego State.
Faulk becomes the 11th Tiger player in the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Charles Alexander (1975-78), Billy Cannon (1957-59), Tommy Casanova (1969-71), Glenn Dorsey (2004-07), Doc Fenton (1904-09), Bert Jones (1970-72), Ken Kavanaugh (1937-39), Abe Mickal (1933-35), Jerry Stovall (1960-62) and Gaynell Tinsley (1934-36).
Five former LSU coaches are also in the Hall: Dana X. Bible (1916), Michael Donahue (1923-27), Biff Jones (1932-34), Charlie McClendon (1962-79) and Bernie Moore (1935-47).
The 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class includes LaVar Arrington (Penn State), Champ Bailey (Georgia), Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech), Sylvester Croom (Alabama), Mike Doss (Ohio State), Chuck Ealey (Toledo), Kevin Faulk (LSU), Moe Gardner (Illinois), Boomer Grigsby (Illinois State), Mike Hass (Oregon State), Marvin Jones (Florida State), Andrew Luck (Stanford), Mark Messner (Michigan), Terry Miller (Oklahoma State), Rashaan Salaam (Colorado), Dennis Thomas (Alcorn State), Zach Wiegert (Nebraska), Roy Williams (Oklahoma) and coaches John Luckhardt (Washington & Jefferson [PA], California [PA]), Billy Jack Murphy (Memphis) and Gary Pinkel (Toledo, Missouri).
The accomplishments of the 2022 Class will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, and each inductee will receive a custom ring created by Jostens, the official and exclusive supplier of NFF rings.
Including the 2022 Hall of Fame Class, only 1,056 players and 226 coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.62 million who have played or coached the game during the past 153 years. In other words, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of the individuals who have played the game have earned this distinction.
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