IRVING, Texas -- UK and the National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced Friday, Sept. 18 that they will jointly honor Art Still (pictured) with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, Saturday, Sept. 19, in Lexington, Ky., during the game between Kentucky and Florida. Coverage of the game will start at 7:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
“It's humbling to be selected because I didn't do it alone,” Still said after the announcement in January. “It's a compliment to all the guys I played with and the coaches…You take all those things - family, friends, teammates, coaches - and they made you a better person.”
The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program is a hallowed tradition that began with the inaugural class in 1951, and to this day the salutes remain the first of numerous activities in each inductee’s Hall of Fame experience. During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each inductee returns to his alma mater to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will remain on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many inductees cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and hear the crowd roar their name.
“Art Still was simply one of the fiercest defenders in school and SEC history,” said NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell. “He was the 1977 SEC Defensive Player of the Year, and he led the Wildcats to their last 10-win season. We are thrilled to honor him in front of the Kentucky faithful at Commonwealth Stadium.”
Voted a unanimous First Team All-American as a senior, Still was named the 1977 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Lombardi Award. Playing for coach Fran Curci, the two-time First Team All-SEC selection led the Wildcats to the SEC Championship and a victory in the Peach Bowl in 1976. A four-year starter, Still finished his career with 327 tackles, and he holds the school record for tackles for loss in a season with 22, which he set in 1977.
The Camden, N.J., native was twice named the National Lineman of the Week, and he led Kentucky to its highest final AP ranking as the Wildcats finished No. 6 in 1977. Named the 1977 SEC Senior Player of the Year by the Birmingham Touchdown Club, Still played in the East-West Shrine Game, Hula Bowl and Japan Bowl senior all-star games.
Chosen by the Kansas City Chiefs with the second overall pick in the 1978 NFL Draft, Still spent 10 seasons with the Chiefs and two with the Buffalo Bills. The four-time Pro Bowl selection set Chiefs’ records for sacks in a career and season, and he currently ranks second in team history with 992 tackles.
A member of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame, Still had his jersey retired, and he is a member of the school’s All-Time Team. Named to the Quarter Century All-SEC team, he is also enshrined in the Kansas City Chiefs and State of Missouri Sports Halls of Fame. Still is a Kansas City Chiefs Ambassador, and he volunteers with Big Brothers, DARE, the Sickle Cell Foundation and the Special Olympics.
Still becomes the fifth Wildcat to be inducted, joining Bob Gain (1947-50), Steve Meilinger (1951-53), Lou Michaels (1955-57) and Babe Parilli (1949-51). Two coaches with stops in Lexington are in the Hall: Paul “Bear” Bryant (1946-53) and Jerry Claiborne (1982-89).
The 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted at the 58th NFF Annual Awards Dinner, held at New York City’s historic Waldorf Astoria Hotel on Tuesday, Dec. 8.
This year’s College Football Hall of Fame Class includes: Trev Alberts (Nebraska), Brian Bosworth (Oklahoma), Bob Breunig (Arizona State), Sean Brewer (Millsaps [Miss.]), Ruben Brown (Pittsburgh), Wes Chandler (Florida), Thom Gatewood (Notre Dame), Dick Jauron (Yale), Clinton Jones (Michigan State), Lincoln Kennedy (Washington), the late Rob Lytle (Michigan), Michael Payton (Marshall), Art Still (Kentucky), Zach Thomas (Texas Tech), Ricky Williams (Texas) and coaches Bill Snyder (Kansas State) and Jim Tressel (Youngstown State, Ohio State).
UK Athletics Photo