COLUMBUS, Ohio – Michael Doss, the three-time All-American safety from Canton, Ohio, who returned for a senior season in 2002 determined to help Ohio State win a national championship, will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this year as a member of the 2022 class. The National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Hall of Fame announced its 2022 class on Monday on ESPN.
One of just eight three-time All-Americans in Ohio State history, Doss indeed capped his remarkable career by leading the Buckeyes to a national championship. He becomes the school’s 27th player to join the College Football Hall of Fame.
A first-team All-American during his last three seasons at Ohio State, Doss earned unanimous honors following his stellar senior campaign in 2002 in which he recorded a personal best 107 tackles. That season, the team captain and Thorpe Award finalist led the Buckeyes to a perfect 14-0 record, the Big Ten title, the No. 1 final ranking and the BCS National Championship following a victory over Miami (FL) in the Fiesta Bowl. Doss was named the Defensive MVP of that 31-24 double-overtime victory after recording nine tackles and a 35-yard interception return that led to Ohio State’s first touchdown of the game on its ensuing possession. The 2002 season was the Buckeyes’ first 14-0 season in school history and their first undefeated season since 1973.
The 2002 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Doss was a three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection. Boasting the most career tackles by a defensive back in school history (331), he led Ohio State in tackles as a sophomore and junior with 94 and 87, respectively. His 228 career solo tackles are the fifth most in Buckeyes history. Doss played in 50 games and started 40 times.
A 2011 Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Doss played for College Football Hall of Fame Coaches John Cooper and Jim Tressel.
Doss was a second-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2003 NFL Draft and he played six seasons for the Colts (2003-06), Minnesota Vikings (2007) and Cincinnati Bengals (2008). He won Super Bowl XLI as a member of the Colts.
In 2005, he founded the Michael A. Doss Foundation, which focuses on education and social welfare. He has also hosted “Make a Difference” youth camps. In 2019, Doss earned a master’s in business operational excellence from Ohio State, and he is now a licensed real estate agent for the Robert Weiler Company in Columbus, Ohio.
The 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class will officially be inducted during the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6 (location TBD).
The inductees will also be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the fall. Their accomplishments will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, and each inductee will receive a custom ring created by Jostens, the official and exclusive supplier of NFF rings.
Ohio State Players in the College Football Hall of Fame
Year Name, Pos.
2022 Michael Doss, SAF
2020 Keith Byars, RB
2016 Tom Cousineau, LB
2014 Orlando Pace, LT
2012 Eddie George, RB
2009 Chris Spielman, LB
2007 Rex Kern, QB
2005 Jim Houston, E
2004 Jack Tatum, DB
2001 John Hicks, OT
1998 Randy Gradishar, LB
1996 Bob Ferguson, FB
1991 Jim Stillwagon, DT
1989 Aurealius Thomas, G
1986 Archie Griffin, RB
1984 Warren Amling, G/T
1979 Howard “Hopalong” Cassady, RB
1978 Gomer Jones, C
1977 Jim Daniel, T
1976 Vic Janowicz, HB
1975 Gust Zarnas, G
1974 Jim Parker, G
1973 Gaylord Stinchcomb, HB
1971 Bill Willis, T
1969 Les Horvath, QB
1954 Wes Fesler, E
1951 Chic Harley, HB
Ohio State Coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame
Year Name (OSU tenure)
2021 Rudy Hubbard, Assistant Coach (1968-73)
2015 Jim Tressel, Head Coach (2001-2010)
2008 John Cooper, Head Coach (1988-2000)
2008 Lou Holtz, Assistant Coach (1968)
2002 Earle Bruce, Head Coach (1979-87)
1993 Bo Schembechler, Assistant Coach (1958-62)
1989 Sid Gillman, Assistant Coach (1941)
1988 Doyt Perry, Assistant Coach (1951-54)
1983 Woody Hayes, Head Coach (1951-78)
1972 Ernie Godfrey, Assistant Coach (1929-61)
1971 Francis Schmidt, Head Coach (1934-40)
1954 John Wilce, Head Coach (1913-28)
1951 Howard Jones (1910)
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