McCallum honored for collegiate accomplishments

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, May 8, 2002 | 9:45 a.m.

Napoleon McCallum was still busy working past the normal 5 p.m. quitting time at his Digital Pro Graphics sign company in Las Vegas early Tuesday night when he took time to answer another phone call.

"Yeah, I've been spending quite a bit of time talking on the phone today," McCallum said. "And we have a lot of orders to get done."

But McCallum had a good reason for chatting on the phone.

The former Sports Illustrated cover boy and NFL veteran became the 20th player in the history of the Naval Academy to be elected into the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday, joining a 2002 class that also included NFL greats Dan Marino, Ronnie Lott and Reggie White.

McCallum, a longtime resident of Green Valley, set 26 school records during his career at Navy (1981-85), including the career rushing mark, single-season rushing yardage, career kickoff return and most 100-yard rushing games. His 7,172 all-purpose yards ranked him second in NCAA history.

"It's exciting and a great honor," McCallum said. "It's something where I had a fantastic career at the Naval Academy and was fortunate to play with some fantastic players there who helped make this happen for me. This is just the icing or the gravy on what was a great college experience for me."

McCallum will take part in induction ceremonies on Dec. 10 at the famed Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. He will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., the following August.

McCallum said he never dreamed about making it into the Hall of Fame while growing up in the Cincinnati suburb of Milford, Ohio.

"No, my big dream was to one day be able to play against the best college teams in the country," he said. "While I was at Navy, we played teams like Ohio State, Michigan, Washington, North Carolina, Syracuse and Notre Dame. So I got to live that dream."

McCallum was a consensus first team All-American as a junior in 1983 when he led the nation in all-purpose rushing with 216.8 yards per game which at that time was an NCAA record. He also finished third in the country in rushing with an average of 144.3 yards.

McCallum played just two games in 1984 before suffering a season-ending broken ankle in the second game of the season. However, he was granted an additional year of eligibility because of the injury and, prior to the start of the 1985 season, graced the cover of Sports Illustrated's football preview issue along with Eric Dickerson.

McCallum made the most of that extra year, once again leading the nation in all-purpose running (211.8 yards per game). He finished seventh in the country in rushing (120.6 yards per game), 10th in kickoff returns (24.4 yards per return) and 14th in scoring (8.2 points per game) en route to first team All-American honors. He also went on to be named the Most Valuable Offensive Player for the Gray squad in the annual Blue/Gray Game and was named Most Valuable Player in the Senior Bowl.

In 1986, McCallum was assigned to the USS Peleliu and was able to complete his military duties in time to practice and play with the Los Angeles Raiders that fall. He finished second on the team in rushing with 536 yards on 142 carries.

Because of a change in his military assignment, McCallum was unable to play the next three seasons. He was traded to the San Diego Chargers, who put him on the Military Reserve List. He eventually rejoined the Raiders in 1990 and saw limited action the next four seasons.

Because of a rash of late season injuries in 1993, McCallum moved into the starting lineup and responded with a three-touchdown outburst in a 42-24 win over the Denver Broncos in the AFC wild card playoff game. He score two more touchdowns the following week against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game.

McCallum's playing career came to a sudden end in the first game of the 1994 season on Monday Night Football where he suffered a severe left knee injury that required three surgeries.

Joining McCallum in the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2002 are Auburn wide receiver Terry Beasley (1969-71), Minnesota tailback George Franck (1938-40), Princeton running back Cosmo Iacavazzi (1962-64), Arizona State wide receiver John Jefferson (1974-77), USC defensive back Ronnie Lott (1977-80), Pitt quarterback Dan Marino (1979-82), Michigan offensive guard Reggie McKenzie (1969-71), Georgia Tech defensive back Randy Rhino (1972-74), Texas offensive tackle Jerry Sisemore (1970-72), Kansas State linebacker Gary Spani (1974-77), Tennessee defensive tackle Reggie White (1980-83), Missouri tight end Kellen Winslow (1976-78) as well as coaches Earle Bruce (Ohio State and others) and Carmen Cozza (Yale).