Ohio State has another College Football Hall of Famer.
Legendary Buckeye running back Keith Byars is among the members of the College Football Hall of Fame's class of 2020, which was announced Wednesday.
Byars becomes the 26th Buckeye to earn induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. He's the eighth Ohio State running back to receive that honor, joining Chic Harley, Gaylord Stinchcomb, Vic Janowicz, Howard “Hopalong” Cassady, Archie Griffin, Bob Ferguson and Eddie George.
| PLAYER | POSITION | YEARS | INDUCTED |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHIC HARLEY | HB | 1916-17, 19 | 1951 |
| GAYLORD STINCHCOMB | HB | 1917-20 | 1973 |
| WES FESLER | E | 1928-30 | 1954 |
| GOMER JONES | C | 1934-35 | 1978 |
| GUST ZARNAS | G | 1935-37 | 1975 |
| BILL WILLIS | T | 1942-44 | 1971 |
| LES HORVATH | QB | 1940-42, 44 | 1969 |
| WARREN AMLING | G/T | 1944-46 | 1984 |
| JIM DANIEL | T | 1939-41 | 1977 |
| VIC JANOWICZ | HB | 1949-51 | 1976 |
| HOPALONG CASSADY | HB | 1952-55 | 1979 |
| JIM PARKER | G | 1943-46 | 1974 |
| AUREALIUS THOMAS | G | 1955-57 | 1989 |
| ARCHIE GRIFFIN | RB | 1972-75 | 1986 |
| JIM STILLWAGON | MG | 1968-70 | 1991 |
| BOB FERGUSON | FB | 1959-61 | 1996 |
| RANDY GRADISHAR | LB | 1971-73 | 1998 |
| JOHN HICKS | T | 1970-73 | 2001 |
| JACK TATUM | DB | 1968-70 | 2004 |
| JIM HOUSTON | E | 1957-58 | 2005 |
| REX KERN | QB | 1968-70 | 2007 |
| CHRIS SPIELMAN | LB | 1984-87 | 2009 |
| EDDIE GEORGE | RB | 1992-95 | 2012 |
| ORLANDO PACE | LT | 1994-96 | 2014 |
| TOM COUSINEAU | LB | 1975-78 | 2016 |
| KEITH BYARS | RB | 1982-85 | 2020 |
Byars was selected for enshrinement in his sixth year on the ballot.
I am honored and blessed to join this club. pic.twitter.com/7Y4VE7rILP
— Keith Byars (@KAB41) March 11, 2020
Over the course of his four years at Ohio State, Byars ran for 3,200 yards and caught 72 passes for an additional 882 yards. He ranks second in school history with 50 touchdowns scored, while his 4,082 total yards from scrimmage rank fifth among all Buckeyes.
Byars had his first big year for the Buckeyes in 1983, when he led the Big Ten with 1,199 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns, added 23 catches for 359 yards and a touchdown and had a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown.
In 1984, Byars had one of the best individual seasons in Ohio State history when he led the nation with 1,764 rushing yards (a school record at the time) and 22 touchdowns and also led the team with 42 catches for 479 yards and another two touchdowns. That season was highlighted by one of the best single-game performances in Ohio State history when he ran for 274 yards and five touchdowns – including a memorable 67-yard touchdown run on which he lost his shoe – in a 45-38 comeback win against Illinois.
Byars was a unanimous All-American, the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the conference's MVP, while he finished second behind Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie in the 1984 Heisman Trophy race.
Byars likely would have had a chance to make a run at the 1985 Heisman and finish his career with even bigger numbers had he not suffered a broken foot that limited him to just four games in his senior season.
Following his Ohio State career, Byars was the 10th pick in the 1986 NFL draft and went on to play in the league for 13 years, highlighted by a 1993 trip to the Pro Bowl as a fullback for the Miami Dolphins. He currently hosts a weekly radio show for WING 1410, an ESPN Radio affiliate in his hometown of Dayton.
