SOUTH BEND, Ind. --- Tim Brown never considered himself a standout collegiate football player until Lou Holtz convinced him of it.
Brown was ready to accept the role of regularly contributing wide receiver at Notre Dame until Holtz arrived after the 1985 season. During the second day of spring practice, following Brown's sophomore season, Holtz called him over and asked why he hadn't been on the field more for the Fighting Irish during his first two seasons.
Brown told him it was a decision by the previous coaching staff. Holtz didn't believe him.
"He yelled at me, 'Son, there's no way a coach could be so dumb as to not play you,' " Brown recalled him saying.
Holtz told Brown the only way he wasn't going to get the ball was if the defense intercepted the snap from center.
"He not only said it, but he was putting me in that position time after time after time," Brown said. "The more I succeeded, the more he kept putting me in that position and the more confidence I got."
Brown turned that confidence into an outstanding final two years with the Irish, becoming the last Notre Dame player to win the Heisman Trophy in 1987. He heads a class of 24 players who will be enshrined today into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Among the others being honored are former Miami quarterback Gino Torretta, who won the Heisman in 1992; Penn State running back Curt Warner; Ohio State linebacker Chris Spielman; West Virginia quarterback Major Harris; Georgia Tech defensive end Pat Swilling; John Robinson, who coached Southern California and UNLV; and Willie Jeffries, who coached at Howard, Wichita State and South Carolina State.
Brown, who touched the ball 79 times for 1,240 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns his first two seasons at Notre Dame, touched the ball 131 times as a junior, setting a school record with 1,937 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns.
Although his junior year was his best statistically, the game he most remembers was during his senior season. That's when Brown returned back-to-back punts for touchdowns against Michigan State.
Fans frequently ask him what it felt like to return back-to-back punts for touchdowns.
His reply: "Tiring."
Augusta native Emerson Boozer and Barnwell, S.C., native Troy Brown are among 24 players who will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame today in South Bend, Ind.
Boozer played halfback at Maryland State College, now Maryland Eastern Shore, after graduating from Laney, while Brown was a wide receiver at Marshall after graduating from Blackville-Hilda.
At Maryland State, Boozer racked up 2,537 yards on 374 carries with 22 touchdowns.
Brown caught 139 passes for 2,746 yards and scored 24 touchdowns at Marshall. On special teams, he had 1,825 yards and four touchdowns.
-- From staff reports
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