SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco State honored its rich athletic tradition on Saturday with the 2017 Gridiron Hall of Fame Induction. Don Briemle, Pete Liebengood, Terry Oakes, and Paul Richards were the individuals inducted, and the 1967 Championship Team was inducted in its entirety.

"I'm honored to be a member of San Francisco State's Gridiron Hall of Fame and to welcome three former teammates and one of my freshman football coaches, Don Briemle," said Gridiron Club Co-Chair Jim Schmitz '67. "These men were great football players and great guys. Our years playing football at SF State were awesome and more meaningful as I look back on them."

Liebengood, played for the Gators from 1962-65 and was an All-Conference Offensive Tackle in 1965. Liebengood went on to have a successful career as a sports anchor for KCRA Sacramento, KRON San Francisco, ESPN, and NBC Sports.

Briemle played linebacker for the Gators from 1959-62, and was a team captain in 1962. He was a 1962 All-Far West Conference selection and was selected Little All-America. Gridiron Magazine ranked him as a "Pro Prospect".

Oakes was a defensive tackle for the Gators in 1965 and 1966. In 1966, Oakes was a First Team All-Conference selection and College Division All-Coast Squad. Oake was also named the team's Most Valuable Lineman. He went on to become only one of 14 Gators to be drafted in the NFL.

Richards played on both sides of the ball as an offensive and defensive tackle from 1961-64. Team captain as a senior in 1964, Richards was a four-year starter and an unprecedented three-time All Far West Conference Selection from 1962-64.



Few Gators teams achieved the national prominence of the 1967 Championship team, which set national and school records for passing, receiving, and scoring. The Gators were ranked No. 17 in the country that year. Several players from that team went on to play professionally in the NFL and coach at the college level. Team co-captains Joe Koontz and Jim Schmitz were on hand to accept the award for the team.

The Gator Gridiron Hall of Fame, established in 1975 by Gator alumnus Dick Boyd, celebrates the successful small-college program that was established by coaches Joe Verducci and Vic Rowen. While football was dropped by SF State in 1995, several prominent NFL coaches with roots in the Gator program have found success in the NFL. Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Dirk Koetter both began their careers at SF State, and so did Mike Holmgren and Gil Haskell. Successful college coaches like Bob Toledo (UCLA, Tulane, Oregon) were record-setting players for the Gators.

The football legacy at San Francisco State is maintained by the Gridiron Club, an enthusiastic group former players, through regular meetings and Gridiron Hall of Fame events. Gridiron Hall of Fame members include former NFL players Elmer Collett, Bill Baird, Floyd Peters, Joe Koontz, Terry Oakes, and Ed Larios.  For additional information, please contact Don McPhail.