The Nebraska Football Hall of Fame Class of 2011

The National Football Foundation Hall of Fame's Nebraska Chapter president, Irv Veitzer, is pleased to announce Nebraska Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2011.

The five former Husker standouts voted into the Hall by Chapter membership include defensive tackle Carel Stith (1965-66), linebacker Bob Terrio (1970-71), middle guard Lawrence Pete (1986-88), rover Mike Brown (1996-99) and cornerback Ralph Brown II (1996-99).

The two players from the Nebraska Sate College/University four-year level, voted into the Hall by Chapter membership, are offensive/defensive end Jimmy Jones (1962-65) of Omaha University (now University of Nebraska at Omaha) and offensive guard Dave Meyer (1972-75) of Midland Lutheran College (now Midland Lutheran University).

Leo McKillip, former head football coach (1985-92) at Dana College in Blair, Neb., was voted by Board Decree as recipient of the Chapter's Coaching Hall of Fame honor.

The Chapter's Clarence E. Swanson Meritorious Service Award will be presented to Jay and Kim Noddle of Omaha, for their strong support of the Nebraska Athletic Department and the University's football program.

The Lyell Bremser Special Merit Award recipients are Bruce and Darla Evertson of Kimball, Neb., in honor of their generous contributions to Nebraska's football program and to the Athletic Department in general.

Induction and award ceremonies will be held Friday evening, Sept. 9, 2011 at the West Stadium Club with on-field pre-game recognition extended to all honorees at the Nebraska-Fresno State game on Saturday, Sept. 10.

Carel Smith, defensive tackle

Carel Stith came to the Cornhuskers out of Lincoln Southeast High School as an all-state athlete in football, wrestling and track. At 6-foot-4 and 261 pounds, Stith played for Coach Bob Devaney as a defensive tackle, earning two letters in 1965-66 and All-Big Eight Conference honors as a senior. Nebraska was seeking size and quickness in its recruitment, and Stith came in big, strong, quick and tough to play alongside or back-up some of the Big Red's greatest names in defense.

In varsity action, 1964-66, Stith's Husker teams posted a record of 28-5. They won the Big Eight title all three years and made trips to the Cotton, Orange and Sugar Bowls. As a junior in 1965, Stith's competitive attitude gained him a back-up role to All-American Walt Barnes, who had shifted from center. As a senior, Stith was in charge of his position, leading all linemen with 82 tackles to tie for team honors, and his 42 unassisted tackles were a lineman and team best. Using his pressure skills up front to attack offenses, Stith added a pair of fumble recoveries.

The Blackshirts led the Big Eight in total defense all three of his varsity years with a 1964 yield of only 167 yards per game. Their rush defense was the best in the conference for the same period, giving up just 99.6 yards per game during his senior year.

In addition to his accomplishments on the field, Stith used his talent to hit the mat for the Cornhusker wrestlers after the Bowl games, where he earned three letters.

Bob Terrio, linebacker

A two-year all-conference junior college transfer from his hometown of Fullerton, Calif., Bob Terrio was a recruited fullback at Nebraska, but switched sides to play linebacker shortly after his arrival. He earned two letters and All-Big Eight honors in 1971 while playing on two national championship Cornhusker teams in 1970 and 1971. At 6-foot-2 and 209 pounds, big, strong, fast and a hard-hitter, Terrio made his debut with 73 tackles his first season.

During Terrio's career, the Huskers totaled 24 wins and a tie with USC, running Nebraska's unbeaten streak to 32 games. Highlighting his career was playing against Oklahoma for the 1971 "Game of the Century" win, 35-31. Terrio also played a big part in Nebraska's Orange Bowl wins over LSU and Alabama for back-to-back national championships. He intercepted a Tiger pass in the closing seconds to preserve a 17-12 win, and he covered a Tide fumble inside Alabama's 5-yard line in the closing minutes to seal a 38-6 Husker win.

The undefeated Blackshirts of 1971 were the conference's best in total, rushing and passing defenses, yielding just 202.9 total yards per game as 10 opponents scored no more than one touchdown each. Terrio's two-year career total tackles of 169, with 79 unassisted, and seven for a loss of 20 yards, ranks him 45th on the Husker charts. In his senior year he led linebackers with five interceptions.

Following his career, Terrio was chosen to play on the 1972 College All-Star team, coached by Bob Devaney and his Nebraska assistants, against the Dallas Cowboys at Soldier Field in Chicago. Currently retired, Bob served 28 years of duty with the Fullerton, Calif., Police Department and his fellow players named an annual golf tournament in his honor, the Bob Terrio Golf Classic, played each year in Nebraska.

Lawrence Pete, middle guard

Lawrence Pete came to the Blackshirt interior corps at 6-foot-1 and 270 pounds to earn three letters, 1986-88, and gain All-Big Eight Conference honors his senior year. The Wichita, Kan., native, later a proven 500-pound record bench presser, backed up and ultimately succeeded All-America middle guard Danny Noonan. Playing at that spot with the 1984 Cornhusker Freshmen, he tied future All-America tackle Neil Smith with 36 tackles and led with 23 unassisted stops. That same year, Pete played in one regular varsity game, a 38-7 win over Minnesota, where he made one unassisted tackle. He took a redshirt season in 1985. Coming back to varsity ball in 1986, over three years, Pete contributed to the Huskers' 41-8 record, including a Big Eight title in 1988, and four bowl game appearances.

In his sophomore season, Pete saw action in 11 games with 25 tackles, including two sacks and five total stops for 26 yards lost. He had six-tackle games against South Carolina and Kansas State and a tackle against LSU in a 30-15 Husker win at the Sugar Bowl, when LSU earned just 10 first downs and only 32 yards rushing. The 1986 Blackshirts had their best effort in 10 years in beating Kansas, 70-0, for the Jayhawks' biggest loss in school history, and held KU to minus-21 yards rushing.

For his junior year in 1987, Pete played in 11 games with 45 tackles, including 25 unassisted, and helped the Huskers hold six opponents to just seven points each. For his senior year in 1988, the Blackshirts led the Big Eight in total defense, and in both rushing and passing defense. Pete started 10 games with 55 tackles, including 33 unassisted, and made seven tackles for 44 yards lost. In helping stop the Oklahoma Sooners' 31-game conference win streak by yielding only 98 yards rushing in a 7-3 Husker win, Pete had nine tackles, including five unassisted.

Following his Husker career, Pete played six seasons in the NFL, 1989-94, all with Detroit, after being selected by the Lions in the fifth round of the 1989 NFL Draft.

Mike Brown, rover

At 5-foot-10, 205 pounds, Mike Brown came to the Nebraska Cornhuskers from Scottsdale, Ariz., to earn four letters, 1996-99. He earned 1999 All-Big 12 and All-America honors as a senior co-captain. Brown teamed up on a four-year defensive relationship with cornerback Ralph Brown (no relation) to ultimately give the Blackshirt secondary a rare tandem of All-America defenders. He went 38 consecutive games as a three-year starter.

As a hard-hitting, sure tackler, Brown played corner as a freshman and then three years at rover and free safety. He was a three-time academic All-Big 12 selection from 1997 to 1999, and capped his senior year off as an Academic All-American, winner of the team's Guy Chamberlin Award; and a Jim Thorpe and Bronko Nagurski national award candidate. Husker fans voted Brown Defensive Safety on Nebraska's All-Century team.

Playing two years each under head coaches Tom Osborne and Frank Solich, Brown's teams went 45-7, were unbeaten in 12 games to win the 1997 national championship, and won two Big 12 titles and were runner-up for another. Brown was the first defensive back, and only the third Husker, to lead the team in total tackles for three straight years, from 1997 to 1999. His stellar play in the secondary aided the Blackshirts in leading the Big 12 in total defense and rushing defense in 1996 and in stopping the rush in 1997 and 1999.

Brown made his Husker debut with 11 games as a freshman in 1996 and ran back an errant Kansas Jayhawk pass attempt that year for 44 yards. As a junior in 1998, he had 102 stops to set a team defensive-back record for tackles in a season. He finished his career with 96 total tackles in 1999, for a total of 287 total tackles, which currently ranks third in the school record books, including 137 unassisted stops. He also broke up 14 passes and caused six fumbles, recovering two. His nine career pass interceptions, including five as a senior, puts him in a ninth place tie in Husker books. He was 3-1 in Bowl competition, appearing twice in the Orange and once each at the Fiesta and the Holiday. In Nebraska's 31-21 win over Tennessee at the 2000 Fiesta Bowl, he was named the defensive player of the game with seven tackles and an interception.

Brown was a second-round NFL Draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 2000. He played 10 years in the pros, including nine seasons with the Bears, 2000-08, and one with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009, and amassed 518 tackles. He was twice named All-Pro, 2000 and 2005, and went to the Pro Bowl in 2005.

Ralph Brown, cornerback

Cornerback Ralph Brown II, from Hacienda Heights, Calif., came to Nebraska in 1996 to claim Freshman All-America honors from the Sporting News after starting 13 varsity games in his first year for the Huskers and become the first position player to start his first game as a freshman. Ultimately a four-year starter, he holds the school record, and ranks second nationally, with 52 consecutive career starts. Brown is regarded as one of the best ever to play corner for the Blackshirts and was named the 1996 Big 12 Conference Defensive Newcomer of the Year. At 5-10 and 180 pounds, primarily playing as a right cornerback, he teamed with rover and fellow Hall Of Famer Mike Brown (no relation) in a four-year stand that saw Ralph earn All-America honors in 1999. A seven-semester graduate, he was named a team co-captain as a senior; a three-time All Big-12 selection (1997-99); and a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist in 1999.

During Brown's final three seasons, the Cornhuskers went 45-7; were unbeaten at 13-0 to win the 1997 national championship, their third in four years; and won two Big 12 titles and were the runner-up for another. The Blackshirts led the Big 12 in total defense his freshman season and were the best in rushing defense in 1996, 1997 and 1999. Brown saw duty in two Orange Bowls, the Fiesta Bowl and at the 1998 Holiday Bowl, where he set a bowl record by breaking up three passes in the game.

Credited with 143 career tackles, including 88 solo, Brown began freshman play with 28 tackles, including 15 unassisted, broke up 12 passes and had four interceptions. He lived a defensive back's dream in scoring three career touchdowns: an Oklahoma pass try for 83 yards in his first season, a fumble recovery run back for a record 74 yards on Kansas State as a junior, and a blocked punt in the Iowa State end zone as a senior.

Overall, Brown led Nebraska in PBU four consecutive years, and ranks No. 1 in the NU record books for career PBU with 50. He set the Husker single-game record by breaking up seven Colorado passes his first year, is tied for third in career pass interceptions with 11 picks, and ranks first in Nebraska history with 253 interception return yards.

Chosen by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, Brown played 2000-03 at New York; 2004-05 with the Minnesota Vikings; 2006 at Cleveland; and finished his career with three years, 2007-09, for the Arizona Cardinals.