KY Pro Football Hall of Fame to Honor Current, Former Wildcats

PER MEDIA RELEASE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY...

KY Pro Football Hall of Fame to Honor Current, Former Wildcats

Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame to induct UK great Irv GoodeFriday night in Louisville

 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky football great KY Pro Football Hall of Fame to Honor Current, Former Wildcats

Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame to induct UK great Irv GoodeFriday night in Louisville

 

LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky football great Irv Goode, who spent 13 successful seasons in the National Football League, has been selected as a 2013 inductee into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame and will be honored Friday nightduring the organization’s induction ceremony in Louisville, Ky.

 

Four other Wildcats will also be honored Friday as former UK offensive lineman Larry Warford and current UK stars Avery Williamson, Bud Dupree and Landon Foster will be recognized for making the All-Commonwealth Team last season. All four players were named to the All-Commonwealth first team, while Warford was also named Co-Offensive Player of the Year by the organization.

 

This weekend is the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 11th Anniversary Celebration where the organization will induct five former NFL stars with Kentucky ties, including Goode. Also being inducted will be former EKU defensive end Chad Bratzke, Louisville linebacker Otis Wilson, Louisville offensive tackle Roman Oben, and Cadiz, Ky., native Coy Bacon. The induction ceremony will take place June 28th at the Louisville Palace Theater beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets for the induction ceremony are available online atwww.kyprofootballhof.org.

 

Goode had an exceptional career at Kentucky from 1959-61 being named an All-America honoree in 1961. The native of Newport, Ky., went on to be the 12th overall pick in the 1962 NFL Draft, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1962-71 before spending two successful years with the Miami Dolphins from 1973-74. While with Miami, Goode helped the Dolphins win Super Bowl VII in 1973 before retiring in 1974. Goode was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

 

Warford, who was taken in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft a few months back, came to UK from Richmond, Ky., and did not allow a quarterback sack as a senior, grading at 90.3 percent for the season and totaling 48 knockdown blocks. He led the UK offensive line, being named game captain five times throughout the season. Warford helped UK tailbacks earn 4.9 yards per carry during the season, including rushing for 342 yards against Samford. Warford ended his UK career having played in 47 games with 37 consecutive starts. The senior was named SEC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week after UK's win over Kent State, handling blocking responsibilities on KSU's star lineman Roosevelt Nix. In the game, Warford collected eight knockdown blocks and graded out at 91.7 percent, while limiting Nix to only two assisted tackles.

Williamson had a breakout junior season in 2012, earning All-SEC honors from Phil Steele’s College Football andCollegeSportsMadness.com. The native of Milan, Tenn., is the returning starter at middle linebacker after finishing second in the SEC and seventh nationally in tackles last season. Williamson, who has played in 37 career games, started all 12 games for UK last season, posting eight double-digit tackle games, including a career-best 20 against Vanderbilt. The physical linebacker had a streak of four games with a least 13 tackles, becoming the first Wildcat to do so since Randy Holleran in 1990. Williamson also had 4.5 tackles-for-loss, three sacks, four pass breakups, two fumbles caused, a fumble recovery and an interception last season. 

Dupree, who is slated to play defensive end this season after splitting time at defensive end and linebacker his first two seasons, had a great sophomore season in 2012. The native of Irwinton, Ga., earned Sophomore All-America Second-Team honors byCollegeFootballNews.com, while Phil Steele’s College Football andCollegeFootballMadness.com named him an All-SEC performer in 2012. Dupree finished top 10 in the SEC in tackles, quarterback sacks and tackles-for-loss last season, starting all 12 games. Overall, Dupree had 91 tackles in his sophomore season with 12.5 tackles-for-loss and 6.5 quarterback sacks. The junior set a career-high in tackles last season vs. WKU with 12, while he had double-digit tackles at Tennessee with a career-best three tackles-for-loss. 

Foster had an immediate impact for the Wildcats last season as a true freshman handling all of the punting responsibilities and posting a 42.9 yards-per-punt average – the best mark ever by a UK freshman punter. The strong season led Foster to Freshman All-America honors byScout.com andCollegeFootballNews.com, while SEC coaches tabbed Foster a Freshman All-SEC performer. The native of Franklin, Tenn., averaged a season-high 50.7 yards in UK’s win over Kent State, while his longest punt was a 58-yard blast against Arkansas. In all, Foster trapped UK’s opponents inside their own 20-yardline an impressive 13 times last season.

 

This is the third year for the All-Commonwealth Team, which was created to give recognition to youth at a local level and empower them to develop expectations of greatness. According to the organization’s release, student-athletes selected to the All-Commonwealth Team represent the best college football players that the state of Kentucky has to offer, while their dedication to the game has contributed significantly to their teams., who spent 13 successful seasons in the National Football League, has been selected as a 2013 inductee into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame and will be honored Friday nightduring the organization’s induction ceremony in Louisville, Ky.

 

Four other Wildcats will also be honored Friday as former UK offensive lineman Larry Warford and current UK stars Avery Williamson, Bud Dupree and Landon Foster will be recognized for making the All-Commonwealth Team last season. All four players were named to the All-Commonwealth first team, while Warford was also named Co-Offensive Player of the Year by the organization.

 

This weekend is the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 11th Anniversary Celebration where the organization will induct five former NFL stars with Kentucky ties, including Goode. Also being inducted will be former EKU defensive end Chad Bratzke, Louisville linebacker Otis Wilson, Louisville offensive tackle Roman Oben, and Cadiz, Ky., native Coy Bacon. The induction ceremony will take place June 28th at the Louisville Palace Theater beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets for the induction ceremony are available online atwww.kyprofootballhof.org.

 

Goode had an exceptional career at Kentucky from 1959-61 being named an All-America honoree in 1961. The native of Newport, Ky., went on to be the 12th overall pick in the 1962 NFL Draft, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1962-71 before spending two successful years with the Miami Dolphins from 1973-74. While with Miami, Goode helped the Dolphins win Super Bowl VII in 1973 before retiring in 1974. Goode was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

 

Warford, who was taken in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft a few months back, came to UK from Richmond, Ky., and did not allow a quarterback sack as a senior, grading at 90.3 percent for the season and totaling 48 knockdown blocks. He led the UK offensive line, being named game captain five times throughout the season. Warford helped UK tailbacks earn 4.9 yards per carry during the season, including rushing for 342 yards against Samford. Warford ended his UK career having played in 47 games with 37 consecutive starts. The senior was named SEC Co-Offensive Lineman of the Week after UK's win over Kent State, handling blocking responsibilities on KSU's star lineman Roosevelt Nix. In the game, Warford collected eight knockdown blocks and graded out at 91.7 percent, while limiting Nix to only two assisted tackles.

Williamson had a breakout junior season in 2012, earning All-SEC honors from Phil Steele’s College Football andCollegeSportsMadness.com. The native of Milan, Tenn., is the returning starter at middle linebacker after finishing second in the SEC and seventh nationally in tackles last season. Williamson, who has played in 37 career games, started all 12 games for UK last season, posting eight double-digit tackle games, including a career-best 20 against Vanderbilt. The physical linebacker had a streak of four games with a least 13 tackles, becoming the first Wildcat to do so since Randy Holleran in 1990. Williamson also had 4.5 tackles-for-loss, three sacks, four pass breakups, two fumbles caused, a fumble recovery and an interception last season. 

Dupree, who is slated to play defensive end this season after splitting time at defensive end and linebacker his first two seasons, had a great sophomore season in 2012. The native of Irwinton, Ga., earned Sophomore All-America Second-Team honors byCollegeFootballNews.com, while Phil Steele’s College Football andCollegeFootballMadness.com named him an All-SEC performer in 2012. Dupree finished top 10 in the SEC in tackles, quarterback sacks and tackles-for-loss last season, starting all 12 games. Overall, Dupree had 91 tackles in his sophomore season with 12.5 tackles-for-loss and 6.5 quarterback sacks. The junior set a career-high in tackles last season vs. WKU with 12, while he had double-digit tackles at Tennessee with a career-best three tackles-for-loss. 

Foster had an immediate impact for the Wildcats last season as a true freshman handling all of the punting responsibilities and posting a 42.9 yards-per-punt average – the best mark ever by a UK freshman punter. The strong season led Foster to Freshman All-America honors byScout.com andCollegeFootballNews.com, while SEC coaches tabbed Foster a Freshman All-SEC performer. The native of Franklin, Tenn., averaged a season-high 50.7 yards in UK’s win over Kent State, while his longest punt was a 58-yard blast against Arkansas. In all, Foster trapped UK’s opponents inside their own 20-yardline an impressive 13 times last season.

 

This is the third year for the All-Commonwealth Team, which was created to give recognition to youth at a local level and empower them to develop expectations of greatness. According to the organization’s release, student-athletes selected to the All-Commonwealth Team represent the best college football players that the state of Kentucky has to offer, while their dedication to the game has contributed significantly to their teams.