CLEVELAND — Former Ohio State Buckeyes great and Heisman Trophy-winning running back Eddie George has been selected the International Sports Hall of Fame.
It was announced Monday that George is one of five people selected for the Class of 2020. George and his classmates, Kirstie Ennis (U.S. Marine Corps veteran and amputee/extreme sports athlete), Forrest Griffin (former UFC light heavyweight champion), Johnny Damon (two-time World Series-winning outfielder) and Lesley Visser (pioneering female sportscaster), will be inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame in a ceremony held at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, March 7, 2020.
The event will be hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dr. Robert Goldman, the founder and chairman of the International Sports Hall of Fame.
Selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011, it is only fitting that George will add another impressive honor to his resume in Columbus, the very city where he build his reputation as a game-breaking playmaker, which led to him being a first-round pick in the NFL Draft and building a near decade-long professional career.
For the first two years of his career at Ohio State, George played behind standouts Robert Smith and Raymont Harris, but during his junior year, he flourished and never looked back as he ran into the history books.
As a junior, George ran for 1,442 yards and 12 touchdowns, along with catching 16 passes for 117 yards, but that was just an appetizer for his award-winning senior season.
In 13 games for the 1995 Buckeyes, George rushed for 1,927 yards and 24 touchdowns on 328 carries. Additionally, George caught 47 passes out of the backfield for 417 yards and one score. All of his statistics were career highs and the gaudy numbers attracted plenty of attention on the awards circuit.
A unanimous All-American, George went on to win the Heisman Trophy, Walter Camp Award (Player of the Year), Maxwell Award (Best Player) and Doak Walker Award (best running back), as well as the Big Ten Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year honors.
George’s No. 27 is retired and displayed in honor at the closed end of Ohio Stadium.
Following his college career, George went on to become a standout at the NFL level.
George started his career with the Houston Oilers and remained with the franchise for the next seven years, when they relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, and later, became the Titans before ending his nine-year NFL tenure with the Dallas Cowboys.
A four-time Pro Bowl player and First-Team All-Pro in 2000, George rushed for 10,441 yards and 68 touchdowns and caught 268 passes for 2,227 yards and 10 scores in 141 career games. In seven of his nine seasons, George surpassed the 1,000-yard mark, including a career-best 1,509 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2000.
The Titans retired George’s No. 27 and honored him with induction into the Titans/Oilers Ring of Honor.