SAN FRANCISCO – There were no San Francisco State Gators selected in the recent NFL Draft, as the football program's final season came in 1994. However, powerful links to Gator football were on full display with the Kansas City Chiefs' victory in Super Bowl LIV. Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid was an assistant coach at San Francisco State in 1984, and his highly respected offensive line coach, Tom Melvin, was an outstanding Gator player under Coach Reid. The SF State Football legacy continues to be celebrated with the announcement of our 2020 Gridiron Hall of Fame class:
- Greg Allen | Defensive Back, 1969-70
- Kermit Bankson | Offensive Lineman, 1965-67
- Dick Boyle | Coach, 1939-41 and 1946-49
- Jack Burgett | Coach, 1968-72
- Bob Celeste | Offensive Lineman, 1965-67
- David Cox | Coach & Director of Athletics, 1931-1953
- Larry Dito | Offensive Lineman, 1965-67
- Walt Filkowski | Defensive End, 1963, 64
- Tom Martinez | Coach & Mentor, 1963-67
- Jim Moore | Center 1970
- Dennis Pete | Defensive Back 1971
- 1965 Championship Team (8-2)
These Gators were elected from a list of 27 great nominees, representing players from five decades. Notable inductees include Tom Martinez, '66, who is best known as Tom Brady's quarterback mentor and coach. Three offensive linemen from the nationally ranked '67 Camellia Bowl team are honored this year — center Kermit Bankson, guard Bob Celeste, and guard Larry Dito. Two star defensive backs from 1970 and 1971, Greg Allen and Dennis Pete, had NFL tryouts. In all, this year's honorees include seven players, four coaches, and one team. The 2020 Hall of Fame induction ceremony is currently scheduled for Saturday, October 10 at Seven Hills Conference Center on the SF State campus.
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Gator Gridiron Club was formed in the 1970s by Gator great Dick Boyd and Hall of Fame coach Vic Rowen. For nearly fifty years, the Gridiron Club board has selected elite players from every era. These include NFL stars like defensive back Bill Baird, linebacker Floyd Peters, and all-pro lineman Elmer Collett; and Super Bowl coaches Mike Holmgren, Gil Haskell, and Andy Reid. Three individual teams have been inducted: the record-setting Camellia Bowl team of 1967 led by quarterback and UCLA coach Bob Toledo, the undefeated 1959 team led by all-time great quarterback and UC Davis coach Jim Socher, and the rugged 1960 team led by nineteen Hall of Fame players.
The Gator Gridiron Club's mission is to bring together former players, coaches and fans to remember the championship football legacy at SF State; to identify and elect great Gator players to the Gridiron Hall of Fame; and to maintain and enhance the Vic Rowen Scholarship Fund and Allen Abraham Scholarship Fund, assisting and encouraging deserving student-athletes in men's and women's sports.
