Two former Notre Dame players on the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame ballot
Two more former Notre Dame stars have earned a shot at election into the College Football Hall of Fame. Ex-Irish linebacker Michael Stonebreaker (1986-90) and cornerback Todd Lyght (1987-90) are among the 80 FBS players on the ballot for the class of 2023, which was revealed Monday.
Lyght left Notre Dame as one of its most distinguished defensive backs. He was a two-time first-team All-American and a unanimous selection in 1990. He was the leading tackler in Notre Dame’s Fiesta Bowl win over West Virginia that gave the Irish the 1988 national championship. He snagged eight interceptions in 1989 and 11 in his career.
The Los Angeles Rams took Lyght with the fifth overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft. He played 12 NFL seasons and won Super Bowl XXXIV with the Rams in 1999. He also earned second-team All-Pro honors that season. He spent 2015-19 as Notre Dame’s cornerbacks coach.
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Stonebreaker was a consensus All-American in 1988, and like Lyght, a unanimous selection in 1990. He made 104 tackles and finished third in Butkus Award voting in 1988. His fingerprints were all over some of the Irish’s biggest wins in 1990, with interceptions to seal games against Michigan and Michigan State and a fourth-quarter fumble recovery to help his team pick off No. 2 Miami. He notched a team-high 95 tackles as a senior.
The Chicago Bears drafted Stonebreaker in the ninth round in 1991. He spent one season with them and played for the New Orleans Saints in 1994. His final professional season was in 1995 with the Frankfurt Galaxy of the World League of American Football.
Lyght was on the ballot in 2022, 2020 and 2016. This is Stonebreaker’s first appearance. Former Notre Dame tight end Mark Bavaro (1981-84) was on last year’s ballot and is a multi-time nominee, but did not appear on the 2023 one.
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Notre Dame has 48 players in the College Football Hall of Fame, more than any other school. Offensive lineman Aaron Taylor (1990-93) was enshrined in 2021 and is the program’s most recent inductee. His election left Stonebreaker and Lyght as the Irish’s only two-time consensus All-Americans who have not reached the Hall of Fame.
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Most years, less than 20 percent of the nominees are selected. Last year’s Hall of Fame class had 18 players. The 2021 group had 11. In addition to the FBS nominees, there are 96 players from the lower divisions on the ballot this year.
To appear on the ballot, a player must have been named a first-team All-American by one of the five NCAA-recognized selectors (Associated Press, Sporting News, Walter Camp, AFCA, FWAA). Players are eligible to appear 10 years after their final college game and must be retired from professional football. They must have played their last college game within 50 years.
Coaches are eligible three years after retirement or immediately following retirement if they are at least 70 years old. Active coaches are eligible at 75.
The ballot was sent Monday to the 12,000 National Football Foundation members and current Hall of Famers, who will submit their selections to the NFF Honors Court by June 30. The Honors Court will deliberate them and ultimately select the class, which will be revealed early next year. It is made up of athletic administrators, Hall of Famers and media members. Former Ohio State running back and two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin is this year’s Honors Court chairman.
