Jets Legends Emerson Boozer and Hugh Douglas are among the members of the Black College Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2019 announced today.
Boozer, the Super Bowl era running back who came to the Jets in 1966 out of Maryland Eastern Shore, and Douglas, the Green & White's first-round pick in 1995 out of Central State in Ohio, are two of the seven inductees in the BCFHOF's 10th class, selected from a list of 25 finalists determined earlier by the Hall's selection committee.
The others members of the Class of 2019 are Rich "Tombstone" Jackson (Southern), Frank Lewis (Grambling), Timmy Newsome (Winston-Salem State) and John Taylor (Delaware State) as player inductees and coach Arnett "Ace" Mumford (Jarvis Christian College, Bishop College, Texas College and Southern University).
The Class of 2019 will be inducted into the Hall at ceremonies on Feb. 16, 2019, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. The inductees will also be recognized at the Celebration Bowl in Atlanta on Dec. 15.
Boozer, 75, was a top player at Maryland Eastern Shore from 1962-65 who was a two-time All-America first-teamer and SWAC Hall of Fame inductee. He played 10 seasons for the Jets, was a two-time AFL All-Star, led the American Football League in rushing touchdowns in 1967, and was a starter on the Jets' AFL Championship and Super Bowl III team in 1968. He's also a member of the Jets' Ring of Honor and the College Football Hall of Fame.
Douglas, 47, notched 42 sacks in 32 games, was a two-time NAIA Division I All-American, and led Central State to the NAIA national championship in 1993. He was the 16th overall pick in the '95 draft by the Jets and went on to earn NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. He played three seasons for the Jets, then six more seasons with the Eagles and one season with the Jaguars and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection.
**The Black College Football Hall of Fame** was founded in 2009 by former quarterbacks James Harris and Doug Williams to preserve the history and honor the greatest football players, coaches and contributors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). There have been 77 Inductees since inception, including Mel Blount, Willie Lanier, Art Shell, Harris and Williams, who serve as trustees. The permanent home of the BCFHOF is under construction at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
