Aug. 28, 2001

FLORENCE, Ala. - Three legends of NCAA Division II football will be honored on December 7 as the third class of inductees into the Division II Football Hall of Fame in Florence, Ala.

Former Santa Clara University tight end Brent Jones, former Fort Valley State University linebacker Greg Lloyd and former University of California Davis quarterback Ken O'Brien comprise the 2001 class of inductees into the Division II Football Hall of Fame.

The three inductees were chosen by a 20-member selection committee and were announced Tuesday by Division II Football Hall of Fame voting coordinator Dee Corum. The trio will be inducted on December 7 as part of a combined Harlon Hill Trophy and Division II Football Hall of Fame Banquet at 6:30 p.m. at the Florence Conference Center.

The initial class of inductees in 1999 included running back Johnny Bailey of Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville), quarterback Jeff Bentrim of North Dakota State and the late Walter Payton of Jackson State University.

The 2000 class of inductees included defensive lineman Harry Carson of South Carolina State University, defensive lineman Pierce Holt of Angelo State University, and wide receiver John Stallworth of Alabama A&M.

The Division II Football Hall of Fame is housed at Braly Municipal Stadium, which has hosted the Division II Football Championship Game since 1986.

The 28th annual Division II Football Championship Game will be played at Braly Stadium at 1 p.m. on December 8, 2000, and the Harlon Hill Trophy presentation to the Division II Player of the Year, and the Hall of Fame inductions are part of the Shoals area's championship week activities.

The Division II Football Hall of Fame is sponsored by Coca-Cola, The Florence Utilities Gas Department, The Real Yellow Pages from BellSouth and Northwest Airlink.

Tickets are $35 each or $280 for a table of eight and are available by calling Shirley Tucker at (256) 764-4661 or the UNA Sports Information Office at (256) 765-4595.

Jones, a four-year letterman at Santa Clara from 1982-85, said he was honored to be inducted into the Division II Football Hall of Fame, especially considering the list of inductees.

"I became aware of the hall of fame a couple of years ago and you have to be impressed with the type players who were being honored," said Jones, now a National Football League analyst for CBS. "To see Walter Payton, John Stallworth and those guys being selected made a big impact. People lose sight of the fact that some of the greatest players in the history of the National Football League and college football came from Division II.

"Anyone would love to be a part of something that involves the great players who have already been selected and the great players who will be selected in the future. I knew immediately this was something I wanted to be part of. I just thought I would have to wait."

Jones was named Kodak, Associated Press and Football News All-American in 1985 as a senior. He was also a three-time All-Western Football Conference selection form 1983-85. He ranks first at Santa Clara in receptions with 137, fourth in receiving yards with 2,267, fourth in scoring with 200 points and third in touchdown receptions with 24. He holds the SCU single-game record for touchdown receptions in a game with three. His top game was 176 yards receiving against Sonoma State in 1982. In 1997, Jones was named to the Division II Football Team of the Quarter Century.

Jones signed as a free agent with the San Francisco 49ers in 1987 after originally being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Over the next eight years (1988-94), he caught 295 passes for 3,789 yards and 27 touchdowns. He was selected All-Pro in 1993 and 1994 and played in the Pro Bowl in 1991, 1993, and 1994. In 1990, he set a 49ers record for yards receiving by a tight end with 747. He played on Super Bowl championship squads in 1988, 1989 and 1994.

Lloyd, a standout at Fort Valley State from 1983-86, said it was nice to be remembered for what he accomplished in college.

"This is a great honor that I truly appreciate," said Lloyd. "I feel honored to have been chosen along with so many other great players of Division II. "Players, when they leave the game, often feel that out of sight is out of mind. For someone to come and tell me they appreciate what I did almost 16 years ago in college is a big honor to me personally.

Lloyd said it is also a special honor for his family.

"I have a son in the seventh grade and he's just thrilled about it, too. He said it was awesome. And I think that's good, too. It's good for him to see what can be accomplished if you maintain the attitude that you want to be the best and work toward that. It doesn't matter where you start. You can still get there."

Lloyd was a three-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection, Fort Valley State's "Defensive MVP" three times, SIAC "Player of the Year" (1986), first-team Sheridan All-America (1986), and a Harlon Hill Trophy candidate (1986) during his collegiate career. He holds Fort Valley State's record for most sacks in a career (32). He helped lead the team to two SIAC Championships (1983, 1985) and an appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs (1985). The 1985 team achieved its highest ranking ever in the Division II Poll (No. 2) that season. The defensive unit was also ranked #1 in the nation in Division II in 1985 in scoring defense, pass defense and total defense. During Lloyd's tenure at Fort Valley, the Wildcats were 33-9. In 1997, Lloyd was selected as a member of the Division II Football Team of the Quarter Century.

Lloyd was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round of the 1987 draft and played the next 10 seasons with the Steelers. After being on the injured reserve list for all of the 1987 season and most of 1988, he cracked into the starting lineup in 1989 and went on the be named Steelers MVP in 1991 and 1994. He was a perennial All-Pro selection, earning numerous trips to the Pro-Bowl (1992-96). He was on the Sporting News NFL All-Pro team in 1994 and 1995. He also received the Steelers Ed Block Courage Award in 1988.

He made 547 tackles, recorded 56 total sacks and caused 34 fumbles as a Steeler He was named to the All-Madden Team during his career and helped lead the Steelers to Super Bowl XXX in 1996. He signed with Carolina in 1998 and played the remainder of his career with the Panthers.

O'Brien , a three-year letterman at the University of California-Davis from 1980-82, said he was excited to be inducted.

"This is a great honor because there have been so many great players in Division II," said O'Brien. "It's also exciting to be inducted in this class."

During his career as quarterback with the Aggies, O'Brien rolled up 6,673 passing yards, completing 470 passes for 44 touchdowns. O'Brien passed for a career high 413 yards in a single game in 1982, setting a single-game passing record in the UC Davis books. He added another UC Davis record when he recorded 2,976 total yards in a season in 1982. He also holds a school record in pass attempts in a career with 820. O'Brien was a 1982 first-team All-American and was awarded UC Davis honors that included the Colby E. Slater Award (UC Davis male Athlete of the Year), the Jerry Norris Award (Most Valuable and Inspirational Award), and the T. Palmer Moody Award (outstanding sophomore).

From college, he was taken in the 1983 draft as the 24th overall pick, becoming the No.1 pick of the New York Jets. Professionally he played 10 seasons from 1983-92 with the Jets. He completed 2,039 of 3,465 passes for 24,386 yards and 124 touchdowns. He led the Jets in passing form 1985-91. His passing totals in 1985 (3,818), which led the AFC, and 1986 (3,690) rank second and third, respectively, in Jets history behind only Joe Namath's 1967 season. His 96-yard TD pass in 1985 ranks as the longest in Jets history. He was voted Most Valuable Player by his teammates in 1985 and awarded the Ed Block Award (Most Courageous Player) by his teammates in 1989. O'Brien was inducted into the UC Davis Hall of Fame in 1990 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.

BRENT JONES, Santa Clara (1982-85)
Brent Jones was a four-year letterman at Santa Clara from 1982-85 and was named Kodak, Associated Press and Football News All-American in 1985. He was a three-time All-Western Football Conference selection from 1983-85. He ranks first at Santa Clara in receptions with 137, fourth in receiving yards at 2,267, fourth in scoring with 200 points and third in TD receptions with 24. He holds the SCU single-game record for TD receptions in a game with three. His top game was 176 yards receiving against Sonoma State in 1982. Jones was signed as a free agent by the San Francisco 49ers in 1987 after originally being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Over the next eight years (1988-94), he caught 295 passes for 3,789 yards and 27 touchdowns. He was selected All-Pro in 1993 and 1994 and played in the Pro Bowl in 1991, 1993 and 1994. In 1990, he set a 49ers record for yards receiving by a tight end with 747. He played on Super Bowl championship squads in 1988, 1989 and 1994. In 1997, Jones was named to the Division II Football Team of the Quarter Century.

GREG LLOYD, Fort Valley (1983-86)
Greg Lloyd was a three-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection, Fort Valley State's Defensive MVP three times, SIAC Player of the Year in 1986, first-team Sheridan All-America (1986), and a Harlon Hill Trophy candidate as a senior. He holds Fort Valley State's record for most sacks in a career (32). He helped lead the team to two SIAC championships (1983,1985) and an appearance in the NCAA Division II playoffs (1985). The 1985 team achieved its highest ranking ever in the Division II Poll (No. 2) that season. The defensive unit also ranked No. 1 in the nation in Division II in pass defense, scoring defense and total defense in 1985. During Lloyd's tenure at Fort Valley, the Wildcats were 33-9. In 1997, Lloyd was selected as a member of theDivision II Football Team of the Quarter Century. As a pro, Lloyd was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round of the 1987 draft. After spending the enitre 1987 season and most of the 1988 season on injured reserve, he cracked into the starting lineup in 1989 and went on to be named Steelers MVP in 1991 and 1994. He was an Sporting News All-Pro selection in 1994 and 1995 and played in the Pro-Bowl from 1992-96. He was also named to the All-Madden Team and helped lead the Steelers to Super Bowl XXX in 1996. He made 547 tackles, recorded 56 sacks and caused 34 fumbles as a Steeler. He signed with Carolina in 1998 and closed his career with the Panthers.

KEN O'BRIEN, California-Davis (1980-82)
Ken O'Brien was a three-year letterman atquarterback at the University of California-Davis from 1980-82. During his career with the Aggies, O'Brien rolled up 6,673 passing yards, completing 470 passes and scoring 44 touchdowns. O'Brien passed for a career high 413 yards in a single game in 1982, setting a UC Davis single game passing record. He added another record to UC Davis book when he recorded 2,976 total yards during the 1982 season. He also holds a school record for attempts in a career with 820. During his collegiate career, O'Brien was a 1982 first-eam All-American and was awarded UC Davis honors that included the Colby E.Slater Award (UC-Davis Male Athlete of the Year), the Jerry Norris Award (Most Valuable and Inspirational Award), and the T.Palmer Moody Award (outstanding sophomore). From college, he was taken in the 1983 draft as the 24th overall pick, becoming the No. 1 pick for the New York Jets. He played 10 seasons in New York from 1983-92. He completed 2,039 of 3,465 passes for 24,386 yards and 124 touchdowns. He led the Jets in passing from 1985-91. His passing totals in 1985 (3,818), which led the AFC, and 1986 (3,690) rank second and third, respectively, in Jets history behind only Joe Namath's 1967 season. His 96-yard TD pass in 1985 ranks as the longest in Jets history. He was voted Most Valuable Player by his teammates in 1985 and awarded the Ed Block Award (Most Courageous Player) by his teammates in 1989. O'Brien was inducted into the UC Davis Hall of Fame in 1990, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1997.