Jack Coleman was a dual-sport athlete at Louisville, where he played football and basketball, but it was the latter where he became a nine-year professional.

Coleman might be best known for being on the wrong end of a Bill Russell block in 1957 when his Hawks lost to Russell’s Celtics, but Coleman was a two-time NBA Champion, having anchored the Rochester Royals to a title in 1951 and the Hawks to one in 1958.  An expert rebounder, Coleman averaged over ten boards a game in the first five seasons, which was tracked, and was also high on the Field Goal Percentage leaderboard regularly.  Coleman’s was also above-average defensively.

An All-American at Louisville, where he eventually joined their Ring of Honor, Sam Madison joined the Miami Dolphins as a Second Round Pick in 1997.  Madison started three games as a rookie and became the Dolphins' starting right cornerback in his second year. From that year to 2002, he was one of the best shutdown defensive backs in football.

Madison had eight picks in 1998 and was a Pro Bowl snub, though was rewarded with a Second Round pick and was sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.  Madison then led the NFL in Interceptions in 1999 (7) and began a string of four Pro Bowls and two First Team All-Pros.  Paired with Patrick Surtain, the duo played a large part in Miami’s regular trips to the postseason in that period.

Madison was released by the Dolphins and signed with the New York Giants, adding veteran depth to their secondary. He helped them win Super Bowl XLII in that shocking win over New England and retired a year after with 36 career Interceptions.

The term “Mountain of a Man” is often misused, but for the 375-pound Ted Washington, that was accurate.

“Mount Washington” was San Francisco’s late First Round Pick in 1991, and became their starting Nose Tackle in his second season.  Traded to the Denver Broncos in 1994, Washington signed with the Buffalo Bills in 1995 where he had the best run of his career.  With Buffalo, Washington went to three of his four Pro Bowls and became known as one of the best rush defenders in football.  With his immense size, it was an arduous task, and once he got a hand on you, chances were that you were going to hit the dirt.

Washington’s best season was in 2001, his first of two seasons with Chicago where he was a First Team All-Pro and finished in the top ten in Approximate Value.  He later was with New England, where he won a Super Bowl (XXXVIII) and closed out his career with two seasons each in Oakland and Cleveland.  Considering his immense stature, the durability to last until 38 is a testament to Washington’s physical presence. 

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB.  Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is news to us that the University of Louisville have announced that they will be retiring the number 8 of former Quarterback, and current Baltimore Ravens star, Lamar Jackson.

Jackson becomes only the second former Cardinal to have his number retired, joining fellow former QB, Johnny Unitas, whose number 16 was taken out of circulation in 2003.

Jackson played three years at Louisville, debuting in 2015 when he led the Cardinals to a win at the Music City Bowl.  He was untouchable as a sophomore, throwing for 3,543 Yards and 30 Touchdowns while rushing for 1,571 Yards and 21 Touchdowns.  Jackson not only won the Heisman, he was the recipient of the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, AP Player of the Year, and the ACC Player of the Year.  He had another good year in 2017, his junior year, with 3,660 Passing Yards, 27 Touchdown Passes, and 1,601 Rushing Yards with 18 Rushing TDs.  Jackson would repeat as the ACC Player of the Year.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Lamar Jackson for earning this prestigious honor.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB.  Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is news to us that the University of Louisville has announced their Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2021.

There are six new members of the UL HOF Class, who are slated to be inducted on October 22.

Harry Douglas, Football: 2004-07:  Playing at Wide Receiver, Douglas is second all-time in Cardinals history in Receiving Yards (2,924).  He would later play nine years in the NFL with Atlanta and Tennessee.

Elvis Dumervil, Football: 2002-05:  Dumerville is second all-time in school history in Sacks (32), and he won the Bronco Nagurski Award and Ted Hendricks Award in 2005.  He would go on to play for the Denver Broncos, where he went to four Pro Bowls.

Bergan Foley, Women’s Lacrosse: 2008-11. Foley holds the Cardinal record for Goals in a single season (78), and her 265 places her second all-time.

Joanna Haig, Women’s Soccer: 2006-07.  Haig has a GAA of .48 with 20 Shutouts as the Louisville Goalie.

Logan Johnson, Baseball: 2004-07.  Johnson played at Second Base, and he is the school leader in Doubles.  He helped bring the Cardinals to their first College World Series.

Melissa Roth. Softball: 2007-10.  Roth played at Catcher, and her squad won 157 Games while she played.  Roth brought Louisville to four Regional Appearances, and she was the 2009 Big East Player of the Year.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the impending members of the University of Louisville Athletic Class of 2021.

Bruce Armstrong would start all 212 of his games at Left Tackle in a career that was spent exclusively with the New England Patriots.  Armstrong's career predated the Brady dynasty, so he is not as celebrated as he should be, but this is a six-time Pro Bowl Selection who was also a Second Team All-Pro twice.  He was also a member of the All-Rookie Team in 1987.

Undrafted out of Louisville, Frank Minnifield quickly found a home in the USFL, where he played for the Chicago Blitz and the Arizona Wranglers briefly before he sued his way out of the league to play for the Cleveland Browns.  

Offensive linemen are often the unsung heroes of football, but one group of linemen bucked that trend: the "Hogs" of the Washington Redskins. The "Hogs" were a legendary offensive line that played together in the 1980s and early 90s, and they were known for their toughness, physicality, and dominance on the field.

One of the linemen who stood out from the rest was Joe Jacoby. Jacoby was not a highly sought-after player when he entered the league; in fact, he went undrafted out of Louisville. But he didn't let that stop him. He worked hard and earned a spot on the Redskins' roster, eventually becoming one of the most beloved players on the team.

Jacoby was a force to be reckoned with on the field. He was a talented blocker who earned the respect of his peers and opponents alike. He wasn't the most naturally gifted tackle, but he made up for it with his work ethic and his punishing blocks. He was fearless and mean, and few players could beat him on running plays. His contributions were instrumental in helping the Redskins win three Super Bowls, each with a different quarterback who is not in the Hall of Fame.

Despite his impressive career, Jacoby has yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. His teammate Russ Grimm was recently honored with induction, but many believe that Jacoby should be there too. While it's unlikely that any other "Hogs" will be voted in, Jacoby's legacy as one of the greatest linemen of his era deserves recognition.

One of the best Place Kickers of his day, David Akers, had to wait for a little to prove his worth in the NFL.  Akers was undrafted out of Louisville in 1997, and after trying out for the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers, he was signed by the Washington Redskins but played only one game and missed both Field Goals (though they were 48 yards plus).

Dan Marino may have been one of the greatest Quarterbacks in National Football League History, but it sure helped that he had Mark Clayton lined up with to throw Touchdowns to.

The second best player ever to come from Louisville, Darrell Griffith led Coach Denny Crum’s Cardinals to their first National Title and was the National Player of the Year in 1980.  Griffith had incredible leaping ability and used this to finish plays with style.  He also was a potent jump shooter though he never became the superstar many thought he would be out of college.  Griffith still had a very solid NBA career but was overshadowed by his great career at Louisville.