Auburn alums Gregg Carr, Larry Blakeney elected to CFB Hall of Fame

by Jeff Shearer
Auburn alums Gregg Carr, Larry Blakeney elected to CFB Hall of FameAuburn alums Gregg Carr, Larry Blakeney elected to CFB Hall of Fame

AUBURN, Ala. – Dr. Gregg Carr, an All-America linebacker at Auburn in the early 1980s, has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025, the National Football Foundation announced Wednesday.

Former Auburn two-sport athlete and assistant football coach Larry Blakeney is also part of the Class of 2025, honored for his 24-season head coaching career at Troy University. 

“A pleasant surprise,” Blakeney told Troy University. “It’s one for all of us, all those coaches and players, people and fans at Troy. I’m tickled to death. It’s been a thrill, one I wasn’t expecting. That even made it sweeter. It’s a tremendous honor. I’m overwhelmed.”

The ninth former Tiger to be inducted for his playing career and the first in 16 years, Carr joins Jimmy Hitchcock, Walter Gilbert, Pat Sullivan, Tucker Frederickson, Bo Jackson, Terry Beasley, Tracy Rocker and Ed Dyas.  

Former Auburn coaches Mike Donahue, John Heisman, Shug Jordan and Pat Dye have also been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. 

Carr says, in terms of toughness, Auburn's spring practices in 1981 could rival any in college football history.

"There were no holds barred, it was physical, and it was incredibly mental," said Carr, a freshman linebacker in 1981 when Dye arrived.

"What we ended with after four weeks of really just an all-out assault on the football field was a bunch of guys who really believed and bought into what Coach Dye was trying to instill in us," Carr said in 2018. "We all felt to a man that we had been through something incredibly taxing and physical, and I think it set the groundwork for what was to happen at Auburn over the ensuing several years."

Three years later, Auburn won the 1983 SEC Championship with Carr leading the Tigers in tackles for the second straight year.

"Those teams were just loaded with talent," said Carr, whose 453 career tackles rank second in Auburn history behind Freddie Smith's 528. "I think whoever was blessed to play linebacker on those teams would have had some success because it was pretty easy to do my job based on what I was surrounded by."

A first-team All-American in 1984, Carr considered it an honor to be a candidate for Hall of Fame’s 2018 class, along with former Auburn star Buddy McClinton, a defensive back from 1967-69.

"I think that there are a lot more people who are far more deserving than myself, but I am very honored that Auburn would nominate me," Carr said in 2018. "I'm very grateful to be able to represent Auburn."

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Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1985, Carr played four NFL seasons before giving up football for medicine. An orthopedic surgeon in his hometown of Birmingham, Carr received the NCAA's Silver Anniversary Award in 2010 for his professional and civic contributions.

"When I think back about any success I have, I think back to Coach Dye, who instilled in us a confidence and a recipe for success," said Carr, a 2008 Alabama Sports Hall of Fame inductee and member of the 2010 SEC Legends class. "He basically gave us a blueprint - for those guys who were willing to listen - a blueprint for being able to be successful. It wasn't complicated. It was hard work, and setting goals, working hard to achieve those goals.

"That's easier said than done - saying it and doing it are two different things, and I think that Coach Dye really taught us how to get there. I was a very different person when I left Auburn than when I got there. I grew emotionally, physically, spiritually, and intellectually.

"It was just that whole experience with Auburn - the school, the athletic department, the football program - it was just an incredible experience for me, and it afforded me multiple opportunities. I took from Auburn so much more than I could ever give back, and for that, I will be forever grateful to the University and to Coach Dye, and to Coach Frank Orgel, who was my position coach.

"Coach Orgel believed in me, just like Coach Dye, when I didn't believe in myself. They were mentors, they were father figures, they were leaders, and those guys helped to transform my whole life."

The 18 First Team All-America players and four standout coaches in the 2025 Class were selected from the national ballot of 77 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 101 players and 34 coaches from the divisional ranks.

"We are thrilled to announce the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class," said Archie Manning, NFF Chairman and a 1989 College Football Hall of Famer from Mississippi. "Each of these legends ranks among the absolute best to have ever played or coached the game, and we look forward to adding their incredible accomplishments to those permanently enshrined in the Hall of Fame."

The 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class will officially be inducted during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 9, 2025, at Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Tickets are available at https://NFF2025.givesmart.com.

The inductees will also be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes during the fall. Their accomplishments will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Each inductee will receive a custom ring created by Jostens.

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Dr. Gregg Carr bio from the National Football Foundation: 

The heart of the Auburn defense in the early 1980s, Gregg Carr established himself as a hard-hitting and instinctive linebacker with game-changing playmaking abilities. The Birmingham, Alabama, native now becomes the ninth Auburn player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
 
A consensus First Team All-American in 1984, Carr was Auburn's leading tackler as a sophomore (125 tackles), junior (136) and the second leading tackler as a senior (139). A two-time First Team All-SEC selection and 1984 SEC Lineman of the Year, Carr amassed 453 career tackles, currently ranking him second in school history. His career totals include 289 solo tackles, which also rank second in the school record books, and nine sacks. His 139 total tackles as a senior rank eighth in school annals for a single season.
 
Playing for College Football Hall of Fame coach Pat Dye, Carr helped the Tigers to a 34-14 record, a SEC title and victories in the 1982 Tangerine Bowl, the 1984 Sugar Bowl and the 1984 Liberty Bowl. His sophomore season, the Tigers beat archrival Alabama for the first time in ten years, handing Hall of Fame Coach Bear Bryant the final loss of his career. His junior season, the Tigers claimed the 1983 SEC title, the school's first conference crown since 1957. Auburn finished ranked No. 14 in 1982, No. 3 in 1983 and No. 14 in 1984 during Carr's run with the Tigers.
 
Carr, the 1984 team captain, also excelled in the classroom, boasting a 3.22 GPA in civil engineering. His combined academic and athletic accomplishments earned an NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award and recognition as an Academic All-American and as one the NCAA's Top Five Student-Athletes.
 
Drafted in the sixth round (160th overall) of the 1985 NFL Draft by Pittsburgh, Carr played four seasons with the Steelers. He graduated from the University of Alabama-Birmingham School of Medicine in 1994, and he is currently an orthopedic surgeon in Birmingham.
 
Carr was inducted into the State of Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2010, he was selected as a recipient of the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award as well as being honored as an SEC Legend.

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Larry Blakeney bio from the National Football Foundation: 

The all-time winningest coach in both Troy and Sun Belt Conference history, Larry Blakeney led the Trojans to eight conference titles while becoming one of only two coaches in history to guide a program from Division II ultimately to the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Birmingham, Alabama, native now becomes the first-ever player or coach in Troy history to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
 
During his 24 seasons (1991-2014) as the Troy head coach, Blakeney won 61.1 percent of his games, posting a career record of 178-113-1. He led the Trojans to five bowl games, securing victories in the 2006 and 2010 New Orleans bowls and appearances in the 2004 Silicon Valley Bowl, the 2008 New Orleans Bowl and the 2010 GMAC Bowl. Prior to Troy's transition to the FBS, he guided the Trojans to seven FCS playoff appearances in eight seasons.
 
He remains the all-time winningest coach in Sun Belt Conference history, holding a 20-win advantage over the next closest competitor. He guided Troy to eight conference championships, including three in the Southland Conference before leading the Trojans to a Sun Belt-record five consecutive titles from 2006 to 2010.
 
His teams regularly competed against and defeated Power Five opponents, including a signature 24-14 victory over No. 17-ranked Missouri in 2004. He also notched Power Five wins against Mississippi State and Oklahoma State. He was named conference Coach of the Year four times, twice in the Southland and twice in the Sun Belt. He was a two-time AFCA Regional Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2000. In 1993, during the program's first full year at the FCS level, he led the Trojans to a 10-0-1 regular-season record, the first undefeated regular season in school history. In 1995, his team finished 11-0 in the regular season, marking the first undefeated and untied season in program annals.
 
Blakeney mentored 14 First Team All-Americans, including 1999 Buck Buchanan Award winner Al Lucas, and he coached 2000 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Nick Colbert. His tenure included 86 First Team All-Conference selections, including three Sun Belt Players of the Year.
 
He oversaw significant renovations to Veterans Memorial Stadium, increasing its capacity from 12,000 to 17,500 in 1998 and later to 30,000 in 2003. Troy named the playing surface at Veterans Memorial Stadium "Larry Blakeney Field." He is one of only two head coaches, alongside UCF's Gene McDowell, to successfully lead a program from Division II to the FBS.
 
Blakeney has been inducted into the Wiregrass Sports Hall of Fame, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, and the inaugural class of the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame. Beyond coaching, Blakeney remained active in civic service, earning the Chilton County Auburn Club "Unsung Hero" Award. A frequent speaker at local events, he has dedicated his time to numerous organizations. A former Auburn quarterback, Blakeney made history as the first sophomore to start at the position for legendary Hall of Fame coach Shug Jordan.
 
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer