Badgers: Former CB Troy Vincent to be inducted into College Football Hall of Fame

January 9, 2023
|In Badgers
|By Zach Heilprin

Troy Vincent is headed to the College Football Hall of Fame.

The 2023 class was announced Monday by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame with the former Wisconsin cornerback among the 18 players and four coaches that will be enshrined.

Vincent is the 12th player and 16th player or coach from Wisconsin to earn a spot in the Hall of Fame. He did it despite the team not experiencing much success during his four years in Madison. In that stretch, which included the first two years of Barry Alvarez’s tenure, the Badgers managed to win nine games. But that didn’t stop Vincent from being one of the best cornerbacks and punt returners in the country during his time with Wisconsin. He was the co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 1991 and a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award that year.

Vincent was the No. 7 overall pick in the 1992 draft by the Miami Dolphins. He spent four years there before signing with Philadelphia where his career took off. He was a 5-time Pro Bowl selection and earned All-Pro honors in 2002. Vincent would end up playing 15 years in the league before retiring after the 2006 season. In addition to his on the field honors, the Pennsylvania native was named the 2002 Walter Payton Man of the Year and won the 2005 Bart Starr Award.

Vincent has since moved into the league office and holds the title of executive vice president of football operations.

The list of the 15 former Wisconsin players or coaches already in the Hall of Fame include Alvarez, Ron Dayne, Joe Thomas, Alan Ameche and Pat Richter.

Here is the full list of inductees:

PLAYERS:
Eric Berry – DB, Tennessee (2007-09)
Michael Bishop – QB, Kansas State (1997-98)
Reggie Bush – RB, Southern California (2003-05)
Dwight Freeney – DE, Syracuse (1998-2001)
Robert Gallery – OT, Iowa (2000-03)
LaMichael James – RB, Oregon (2009-11)
Derrick Johnson – LB, Texas (2001-04)
Bill Kollar – DT, Montana State (1971-73)
Luke Kuechly – LB, Boston College (2009-11)
Jeremy Maclin – WR/KR, Missouri (2007-08)
Terance Mathis – WR, New Mexico (1985-87, 1989)
Bryant McKinnie – OT, Miami [FL] (2000-01)
Corey Moore – DL, Virginia Tech (1997-99)
Michael Stonebreaker – LB, Notre Dame (1986, 1988, 1990)
Tim Tebow – QB, Florida (2006-09)
Troy Vincent – DB, Wisconsin (1988-91)
Brian Westbrook – RB, Villanova (1997-98, 2000-01)
DeAngelo Williams – RB, Memphis (2002-05)

COACHES:
Monte Cater – 275-117-2 (70.1%); Lakeland [WI] (1981-86), Shepherd [WV] (1987-2017)
Paul Johnson – 189-99-0 (65.6%); Georgia Southern (1997-2001), Navy (2002-07), Georgia Tech (2008-18)
Roy Kramer – 83-32-2 (71.8%); Central Michigan (1967-77)
Mark Richt – 171-64-0 (72.8%); Georgia (2001-15), Miami [FL] (2016-18)