BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Featuring former greats from all 12 Southeastern Conference member institutions, the 2005 class of the Alltel SEC Football Legends will be honored at the 2005 SEC Championship Game, to be held Saturday, December 3rd at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, the conference announced Wednesday.
Last year's class consisted of Alabama's Bob Baumhower, Arkansas' Fred Marshall, Auburn's Jimmy "Red" Phillips, Florida's Lomas Brown, Georgia's Mike Wilson, Kentucky's George Blanda, LSU's Paul Dietzel, Ole Miss' Allen Brown, Mississippi State's Arthur Davis, South Carolina's Dan Reeves, Tennessee's Frank Emanuel and Vanderbilt's Boo Mitchell.
The 2005 SEC Football Legends
Cornelius Bennett was a three-time All-American and a unanimous selection in 1986, the same year he won the Lombardi Trophy. He was an Alabama "Team of the Century" member and selected as the SEC Player of the Year in 1986. Bennett was named the Defensive Player of the Game in the 1985 Aloha Bowl and the 1986 Sun Bowl. A team captain in 1986, he amassed 287 career tackles and 15 sacks, 10 of which came in 1986. He finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 1986 and was named Alabama Player of the Decade for the 1980s. He finished his Crimson Tide career with 287 total tackles, 15 sacks and 23 additional tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Later this year, he will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Bennett went on to a stellar career with the NFL's Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Falcons, where be participated in four Super Bowls with the Bills and one with the Falcons. Bennett also made five Pro Bowls.
One of the most exciting signal callers in UA football history, Quinn Grovey led the Razorbacks to back-to-back Southwest Conference titles in 1988 and 1989. He is the only Arkansas quarterback to lead the Hogs to multiple Cotton Bowl berths. A four-year letterman from 1987 to 1990 and three-year regular, Grovey threw for 4,496 passing yards while rushing for 1,746 yards. He earned All-Southwest Conference honors in 1988 after leading the league in passing accuracy (.633). His career passing yardage total ranks sixth while his rushing yardage total ranks 16th on the school record lists. His 18 touchdown passes in 1990 and his 29 career passing scores rank third and fourth respectively, on both the season and career school record charts. A member of the Arkansas All-Century team, Grovey ranks third in Razorback history in total yards and touchdown responsibility. He still is very much part of the Razorback program, serving in his eighth year as the sideline reporter on Arkansas football radio broadcasts.
Ed Dyas swept All-America honors in football and scholastics in 1960. He set an NCAA record for most field goals in a season with 13. Auburn won 4 SEC games in 1960 with Dyas field goals. He was also a standout player at linebacker and fullback and concluded his career as Auburn's sixth all-time leading rusher with 1,298 yards. He finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting in 1960 and was selected captain of the 1960 Scholastic All-America Team. In 1994, he was presented The Walter Gilbert Award by Auburn University. The award is given annually to former athletes who have distinguished themselves through achievements after graduation from Auburn. Finally, Dyas was a three-time Academic All-SEC selection.
Trace Armstrong was a consensus first team All-SEC choice and was a first team All-America choice for 1988 by The Sporting News. Armstrong registered 19 tackles for a loss in 1988, the single-season record for a defensive lineman at Florida. He was a first round selection in the 1989 NFL Draft by Chicago. Armstrong is a former president of the NFL Players Association. He recorded 375 total tackles and 106 quarterback sacks in a decorated 15-year NFL career, with the Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders. Armstrong earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2000, a season in which he registered 16.5 sacks.
Zeke Bratkowski became one of Georgia's most celebrated quarterbacks under Coach Wally Butts and had an outstanding 14-year career in the National Football League. "The Brat" earned All-America honors in both 1952 and '53 and was the nation's leading passer in 1952 and the nation's leading punter in 1953. He was a two-time All-SEC selection and a two-time SEC passing leader. While at Georgia, Bratkowski threw for 4,836 passing yards before moving on to his 14-year NFL career with the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, and Green Bay Packers. With the Packers he became known as "Super Sub" backing up starter Bart Starr as Green Bay won three consecutive World Championships including two Super Bowls in 1966 and 1967. Bratkowski was known for leading the Packers from a 10-0 deficit to a 13-10 overtime victory over the Baltimore Colts clinching the NFL Western Conference title. He was inducted into the State of Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1980.
Warren Bryant was a dominant offensive lineman who helped lead Kentucky to a share of the Southeastern Conference championship in 1976. As a senior, he was named first-team All-America by Walter Camp and American Football Coaches Association. That same year, Bryant won the Jacobs Award as the most outstanding blocker in the SEC. He was a three-year first-team All-SEC selection and was named to the 25-year All-SEC team covering 1961-1985. He was a first-round draft choice of the Atlanta Falcons and had a seven-year career in the National Football League.
Eric Martin was named first team All-America for the Tigers in 1983 after catching 52 passes for 1,064 yards and five touchdowns. In addition, Martin was named first-team All-SEC in 1983 and 1984. As a freshman, he was second in the nation in kickoff returns, including a 100-yarder for a touchdown against Kentucky. He finished his career with 2,625 receiving yards and hauled in 14 touchdown passes. Upon finishing his career at LSU, Martin was the school leader in season and career receptions, most receiving yards in a game, and most receiving yards in a season.
Martin was picked in 7th round of 1984 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints and went on to play 10 seasons in the NFL.
Andre Townsend earned three letters during an Ole Miss career which saw him selected third team All-America by The Football News in 1983 and second team All-SEC by The Associated Press in 1982 and 1983. The Ole Miss co-captain ranked second on the team with 111 tackles as a senior in 1983, including a team-high nine quarterback sacks. He also led the 1982 Rebels with 111 tackles and three fumble recoveries. The 1983 Independence Bowl MVP, Townsend was the Clower-Walters Scholarship Award recipient at Ole Miss in the spring of 1982.
After playing in the 1983 Senior Bowl, he was selected in the second round of the 1984 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. He played seven seasons with the Broncos, seeing action in 104 NFL games as he returned 1 fumble for a touchdown, had 22 career quarterback sacks and participated in Super Bowls XXII and XXIV.
Joe Fortunato was named an Athletic Publication All-America following the 1951 season, and was chosen first-team All-SEC in 1951 and second-team All-SEC in 1952. Fortunato was chosen to the 1952 East-West Shrine Classic and to the 1953 Senior Bowl. He is a member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and was elected to the Mississippi State University Sports Hall of Fame in 1972.
Fortunato was selected in the seventh round of the 1952 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears and played for them from 1955 through 1966. He was chosen All-Pro by the AP and the UPI in 1964 and 1965 and was a five-time Pro Bowl selection.
Warren Muir was a first-team All-American by the American Football Association in 1969 after rushing for 969 yards. Lettering in 1967 through 1969, Muir is currently the tenth leading rusher in South Carolina history with 2,234 yards. In 1967, he rushed for a career best 164 yards versus North Carolina. Muir led the Gamecocks to the 1969 ACC Championship and a berth in the Peach Bowl. His former head coach, Paul Dietzel called him "the toughest inside runner in college football." Muir went on to a career as a civil engineer.
A native of Clinton, Tenn., Larry Seivers developed into a Tennessee fan favorite from 1974 to 1976 due to his sure-handed receiving skills. A two-time consensus All-America and All-SEC wide receiver, Seivers was also recognized as the 1976 SEC Male Athlete of the Year. Among his most memorable highlights as a Vol were his game-winning touchdown reception in a Liberty Bowl win over Maryland and a two-point conversion catch that capped a one-point victory over Clemson in 1974. He also tied the school record for catches in a single game when he hauled in 11 passes against Clemson in 1976. Seivers currently ranks seventh on Tennessee's all-time receptions list with 117. The 1976 Tennessee co-captain finished his career with seven 100-yard receiving games.
Chris Gaines was a first team Kodak All-America by the nation's football coaches in 1987 after setting a then SEC record with 214 tackles. He was Vanderbilt's 1987 Athlete of the Year, the MVP of the Blue-Gray Game and the Tennessee Amateur Athlete of the Year by the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Gaines was academic all-SEC, first-team all-SEC by the Associated Press and still holds several school records including his 37 tackles against Tulane. He later set a single season tackling record for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. After retiring as a player, he coached linebackers for two years at Vanderbilt and was voted the 1997 SEC Linebackers Coach of the Year.