Sept. 19, 2007
GREENSBORO, N.C. — Two members of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Georgia Tech’s George Morris and Virginia’s Joe Palumbo and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Miami’s Jim Kelly, headline a contingent of 12 former standout football players who were chosen as the ACC’s 2007 ACC Football Championship Game Legends class, ACC Commissioner John Swofford announced Wednesday.
The ACC Football Legends will be honored at this year’s Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship weekend in Jacksonville, Fla., on Nov. 30-Dec. 1. The Legends will be introduced at the ACC Coaches and Awards Luncheon (12 pm) and honored at the ACC Legend’s Reception (6 pm) at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel on Nov. 30. They will also be honored in pre-game ceremonies prior to the Conference’s Third Annual Football Championship Game at Jacksonville’s Municipal Stadium.
In all, this year’s ACC Legend’s Class includes five consensus All-Americas, four members of the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Football Team, five former No. 1 NFL draft picks and 11 players who totaled 93 years of experience in the National Football League.
Joining Morris, an all-America linebacker for the Yellow Jackets’ 1952 National Championship team (International News Service); Palumbo, a first-team all-America selection for the Cavaliers in 1951; and Kelly, a first-round selection of the Buffalo Bills in the 1983 NFL Draft, are Duke’s Clarkston Hines, the 1989 ACC Athlete of the Year; Florida State’s LeRoy Butler, a consensus All-America defensive back for the Seminoles in 1989; Boston College’s Pete Mitchell, a consensus All-America for the Eagles in 1994; Clemson’s Jerry Butler, a 1978 consensus All-America wide receiver for the Tigers, and NC State’s Dennis Byrd , a unanimous All-America defensive end for the Wolfpack’s 1967 team.
Hines, Byrd, Jerry Butler and Wake Forest’s Norm Snead, a second-team All-America quarterback selection in 1960, were all chosen to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary team in 2003.
Rounding out the Legend’s Class of ’07 are Maryland’s Dick Shiner; a two-time All-ACC quarterback (1962-63) and a 12-year veteran quarterback of the National Football League; North Carolina’s Harris Barton, a first-team All-America in 1986 and a 13-year veteran of the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers; and Virginia Tech’s Antonio Freeman, an 11-year NFL veteran who was a prolific all-pro wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers.
Three of this year’s ACC Legends class have ties to Jacksonville. Florida State’s LeRoy Butler played his high school football at Lee High School and still resides in Jacksonville. Duke’s Clarkston Hines played his high school football at the Bolles School. Boston College’s Pete Mitchell played pro football for the Jacksonville Jaguars and currently resides in Jacksonville.
Also, four members of this year’s class-Kelly (4), Barton (3), LeRoy Butler (2) and Freeman (2) made a total of 11 appearances in the NFL’s Super Bowl. Five members of this year’s class-Kelly (5), LeRoy Butler (4), Snead (3), Jerry Butler (1) and Freeman (1)-were named to the pro bowl in the National Football League a total of 14 times.
Morris (1950-52, Vicksburg Miss.), one of the stalwarts of the Bobby Dodd-coached Georgia Tech teams of the early 1950’s, earned All-America honors as a linebacker in leading the Jackets to a perfect 12-0 record in 1952 and a combined mark of 23-0-1 during the 1951 and 52 seasons including wins in the Orange and Sugar Bowls. A member of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame, he was also honored as an Academic All-America in 1952. He earned first-team all-SEC honors in 1952 and was drafted on the second round by the San Francisco 49’ers in the 1953 NFL Draft. Morris currently resides in Atlanta.
