WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A pair of Purdue Football legends landed on the 2023 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Larry Burton and Taylor Stubblefield, two of the best wide receivers in program history, were on the list released by the National Football Foundation (NFF) and College Football Hall of Fame Monday (June 6).
The Boilermakers were two of 80 players on the Football Bowl Subdivision ballot. The announcement of the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2023. The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 5, 2023, and permanently immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. They will also be honored at their respective schools with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the 2023 season.
Before becoming a football standout at Purdue, Burton showcased his speed on the track. He tied the world record in the 60-meter dash, while also setting a world best in the 200-meter dash. Burton also finished fourth in the 200-meter dash at the 1972 Olympics.
In his two seasons as a Boilermaker, Burton led Purdue in receiving yards during both the 1973 and 1974 campaigns. The 1974 team MVP and team captain was a First Team All-American and Outstanding College Athlete of America in 1974, while also collecting First Team All-Big Ten honors.
Following his career at Purdue, Burton was selected by the New Orleans Saints as the seventh overall pick in the 1975 NFL Draft. He went on to have a six-year career in the NFL.
Stubblefield was a 2004 consensus First Team All-American who set the NCAA record for career receptions (316). From 2001 to 2004, the two-time All-Big Ten selection amassed 325 receptions. Because the NCAA did not include bowl games in its statistics until 2002, Stubblefield's national-record total stands at 316. Only two other players had as many as 300 lifetime catches entering the 2005 season following Stubblefield's graduation.
Consistency was Stubblefield's trademark. He caught 89 passes as a senior - the third-most in school history - after having 86 as a junior, 77 as a sophomore (when he missed three games with an injury) and 73 as a freshman. He caught at least one pass in all 47 games he played at Purdue. Stubblefield's 3,629 career receiving yards rank second on both the Purdue and Big Ten lists - to teammate John Standeford's 3,788 yards from 2000 to 2003. Stubblefield had 11 100-yard receiving games, the fourth-most in school annals, and 21 receiving touchdowns to rank tied for fifth.
Stubblefield set a school record with 16 receiving touchdowns his senior season, the second-most in the nation that year and the third-most ever in the Big Ten. His 1,095 receiving yards rank ninth on the Purdue season list. Stubblefield was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, presented to the nation's outstanding receiver. He became the first Purdue receiver to be recognized as a consensus All-American since Bernie Flowers in 1952.
Throughout history, Purdue has had 11 former players and five former coaches enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. Rod Woodson (1983-86) was the latest Boilermaker to be inducted, back in 2016.
The Boilermakers were two of 80 players on the Football Bowl Subdivision ballot. The announcement of the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2023. The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 5, 2023, and permanently immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. They will also be honored at their respective schools with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the 2023 season.
Before becoming a football standout at Purdue, Burton showcased his speed on the track. He tied the world record in the 60-meter dash, while also setting a world best in the 200-meter dash. Burton also finished fourth in the 200-meter dash at the 1972 Olympics.
In his two seasons as a Boilermaker, Burton led Purdue in receiving yards during both the 1973 and 1974 campaigns. The 1974 team MVP and team captain was a First Team All-American and Outstanding College Athlete of America in 1974, while also collecting First Team All-Big Ten honors.
Following his career at Purdue, Burton was selected by the New Orleans Saints as the seventh overall pick in the 1975 NFL Draft. He went on to have a six-year career in the NFL.
Stubblefield was a 2004 consensus First Team All-American who set the NCAA record for career receptions (316). From 2001 to 2004, the two-time All-Big Ten selection amassed 325 receptions. Because the NCAA did not include bowl games in its statistics until 2002, Stubblefield's national-record total stands at 316. Only two other players had as many as 300 lifetime catches entering the 2005 season following Stubblefield's graduation.
Consistency was Stubblefield's trademark. He caught 89 passes as a senior - the third-most in school history - after having 86 as a junior, 77 as a sophomore (when he missed three games with an injury) and 73 as a freshman. He caught at least one pass in all 47 games he played at Purdue. Stubblefield's 3,629 career receiving yards rank second on both the Purdue and Big Ten lists - to teammate John Standeford's 3,788 yards from 2000 to 2003. Stubblefield had 11 100-yard receiving games, the fourth-most in school annals, and 21 receiving touchdowns to rank tied for fifth.
Stubblefield set a school record with 16 receiving touchdowns his senior season, the second-most in the nation that year and the third-most ever in the Big Ten. His 1,095 receiving yards rank ninth on the Purdue season list. Stubblefield was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, presented to the nation's outstanding receiver. He became the first Purdue receiver to be recognized as a consensus All-American since Bernie Flowers in 1952.
Throughout history, Purdue has had 11 former players and five former coaches enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. Rod Woodson (1983-86) was the latest Boilermaker to be inducted, back in 2016.