One of the greatest players in Arkansas and SEC history, Darren McFadden twice got the Doak Walker Award as the best running back in the nation. McFadden will become the 16th player in school history to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
“Growing up in Arkansas, my dream was to play for the Arkansas Razorbacks,” he said via Twitter. “To be able to do that and now to be recognized with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame is something I couldn’t have imagined.”
A two-time First Team All-American, “Run DMC” finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up in the 2006 and 2007 seasons. The 2007 Walter Camp Player of the Year and Sporting News Player of the Year, he won back-to-back Doak Walker Awards to join Longhorn Ricky Williams as the only two-time recipients of the award. Here are some other bonafides:
- Razorbacks all-time leader with 4,590 career rushing yards and 5,881 career all-purpose yards ( both rank second in SEC history)
- The three-time First Team All-SEC selection led Arkansas to the 2006 SEC Western Division title, two bowl berths and a No. 15 final ranking in 2006.
- First Team All-America honors as a kick returner in 2006
- Arkansas career records for rushing attempts (785) and 100-yard rushing games (22)
- No. 2 all-time with 41 rushing touchdowns.
- The only Razorback to ever gain 2,000 all-purpose yards in a season, his 2,310 yards in 2007 rank fourth all-time in SEC history.
- One of only three players in SEC history to rush for 1,000 yards in his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons.
- 120.8 rushing yards per game during his career are third all-time in SEC annals
- 321 rushing yards against South Carolina in 2007 remain tied for a single-game conference record.
The Oakland Raiders chose McFadden with the No. 4 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played 10 seasons for the Raiders (2008-14) and the Dallas Cowboys (2015-17).
McFadden has volunteered for events with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Salvation Army, Special Olympics and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital. The Little Rock native also helps in his current residence of north Dallas, where he visits local hospitals and helped with disaster relief. A member of the State of Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, McFadden was named an SEC Football Legend in 2018.
The induction ceremony will happen in December 2019 in New York City. Other legends in Darren McFadden’s class of 2019 include Vince Young, Troy Palumalu, Raghib Ismail, Torry Holt and Patrick Willis.
Razorbacks in the College Football Hall of Fame
Lance Alworth, Arkansas Player 1959-61
Inducted in 1984
Hugo Bezdek, Coach 1908-12
Inducted in 1954
Frank Broyles, Arkansas Coach 1958-76
Inducted in 1983
Ronnie Caveness, Arkansas Player 1962-64
Inducted in 2010
Chuck Dicus, Arkansas Player 1968-70
Inducted in 1999
Danny Ford, Coach 1993-97
Inducted in 2017
Wayne “Thumper” Harris, Arkansas Player 1958-60
Inducted in 2004
Lou Holtz, Arkansas Coach 1977-83
Inducted in 1998
Jimmy Johnson, Arkansas Player 1963-65
Inducted in 2012
Darren McFadden, Arkansas Player 2005-07
To Be Inducted in 2019
Loyd Phillips, Arkansas Player 1964-66
Inducted in 1992
Wear Schoonover, Arkansas Player 1927-29
Inducted in 1967
Clyde Scott, Arkansas Player 1946-48
Inducted in 1971
Read my OnlyInArk.com obituary feature on Scott — Clyde “Smackover” Scott ~ UA’s Greatest All-Around Athlete Crosses the Final Goal Line
Billy Ray Smith, Arkansas Player 1979-82
Inducted in 2000
Smith was a two-time consensus all-American at linebacker as a junior and senior. He holds the Arkansas record for career tackles for loss with 63.
Barry Switzer, Arkansas Player 1957-59
Inducted in 2001
Bowden Wyatt, Arkansas Coach 1953-54
Inducted in 1972 (as a player) and 1997 (as a coach)
The above list, plus more, is via WholeHogSports.com
