The Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted its 2026 class Saturday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. No Mountaineers were inducted this year; but as always, we can always find some sort of tie to WVU, no matter how much of a stretch it may be. Read more: Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement in the books; any WVU ties?
I don’t care if I’m grasping at straws, I just happen to miss football as much (if not, more) than the next person.
Let’s get into it.
Class of 2026
Five well-deserving football legends have now been added to the sacred halls in Canton. One of the five has more history with the Mountaineers than the others. Unfortunately, it was during his time at Pitt.
Larry Fitzgerald
One of the most electric wide receivers and overall football players of all-time played WVU twice wearing the wrong gold and blue. Fitzgerald torched the Mountaineers on November 30, 2002, going for 11 catches, 159 yards, and two touchdowns. Luckily, WVU fended off the Panthers in a 24-17 affair.
He did it once again in the 2003 meeting. Fitzgerald finished with nine catches, 185 yards, and two more touchdowns. Once again, WVU proved to be too much as an all-around team, 52-31.
If it tells you just how good the Minnesota native was, the outing was just his third highest yardage output of the season. Fitzgerald went for more than 200 twice in ’03.
We know how Fitzgerald panned out with the Arizona Cardinals. He was a top catalyst for propelling a lackluster franchise to an NFC title in 2008, came oh-so-close to a Super Bowl win, and had more tackles than drops in his stellar career.
Well done, Larry, even if you made dentist jokes about the people of the Mountain State.
WVU played the college, but not the player
Three of the other four inductees this year never played against the Mountaineers, but their Alma Mater has at some point either before or after their time.
Drew Brees – Purdue
Before turning the New Orleans Saints around into a Super Bowl-winning franchise, Brees made waves with Purdue. WVU has played the Boilermakers twice, ironically in the two seasons leading up to Brees’ arrival. The series is split, 1-1.
Luke Kuechley – Boston College
There is a well-documented past between WVU and BC. The former Big East foes played annually between 1981 and 2004, in addition to numerous meetings before that.
Kuechley joined the Eagles several years after they departed from the conference. WVU leads the all-time series, 21-11-1.
He went on to have a brief but stellar career with the Carolina Panthers.
Roger Craig – Nebraska
The three-time Super Bowl champ as a member of the San Francisco 49ers dynasty run spent his college days at the then-powerhouse University of Nebraska.
WVU got shut out in its only meeting with the Cornhuskers in 1994. This came long after Craig’s time in the Midwest.
No ties
WVU has never played South Dakota State, the Alma Mater of the four-time Super Bowl champ Adam Vinatieri. His dynasty-starting game-winners at the buzzer in the New England Patriots’ first two SB wins are simply iconic. He went from one super franchise to another, winning his fourth ring with the Indianapolis Colts.
WVU’s finest
Four Mountaineers are enshrined in the illustrious Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Related: 30 days, 30 legends: Top 30 WVU Football players of all time
These are no-brainers, too, with some tied deeply into the roots of football history in the United States.
Joe Stydahar – Class of 1967
After all, he’s documented as the first draft back in the history of the Chicago Bears organization. Between dominating at WVU and roaming the turf as part of The Monsters of the Midway Bears defense of mass acclaim, the case was already convincing.
Tack on a stint in the Navy and coaching the Los Angeles Rams to their first NFL Championship in 1951, there are few resumes quite like that of “Jumbo Joe.”
Earle “Greasy” Neale – Class of 1969
The West Virginia Weslyan graduate is tied to the Mountaineers through his coaching stint between 1931 and 1934. Neale also played for the Cincinnati Reds and pro football teams, before coaching at the college and pro level.
Perhaps his biggest gifts to the sport of football come from his schemes while coaching the Philadelphia Eagles. Every 4-3 defense you see these days can be traced back to Neale.
Sam Huff – Class of 1982
One of the greatest Mountaineers to ever grace the gridiron, Huff carried that momentum to the next level of play. His play transcended reality, and eventually made history by becoming the first defensive player to ever be featured on the cover of Time Magazine.
Huff finished his professional playing career as a five-time Pro Bowl pick, split between his time with the New York Giants and Washington Redskins.
Chuck Howley – Class of 2023
The most recent induction into the sacred circle of football’s elite, Howley is best remembered for his time as a key member of the true Dallas Cowboys.
Not only did he win multiple Super Bowls, he walked away as Super Bowl V MVP. The former seventh overall pick (1958) cut his teeth with the Mountaineers, and to this day remains the only athlete in WVU’s long history to earn a letter in five different sports.
Howley is one of a kind.
The future is now
Everything comes full-circle. With several WVU alumni hanging around a handful of teams, including a few starters, who knows when the next star will rise to greatness at the professional level.
The best part of it all? We’re getting closer to football season.
New: Fall camp: Kevin Brown emerging as serious contender along offensive line
New: WVU Athletics announces 2026 was its most success fiscal year
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