Former Patriots Andre Tippett and Kenneth Sims were announced as 2021 inductees into the College Football Hall of Fame, two long-deserving players who will join a class that includes Tony Romo, Carson Palmer and C.J. Spiller.
Tippett was enshrined in the Patriots Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008. The five-time Pro Bowler and two-time AP First-Team All-Pro was a member of the Patriots for 11 seasons, making an appearance in Super Bowl 20. He still holds the franchise record for sacks with 100.
Tippett had an even bigger impact on his college team, Iowa, where he helped lead the Hawkeyes to a winning record, a Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl championship for the first time in over two decades. He was named a member of Iowa's All-Time Team in 1989, where he still holds a record for tackle-for-loss in a single season.
Sims was taken out of Texas with the first-overall pick in the 1982 draft, the same draft the Patriots would select Tippett 41st overall. He was also a part of the 1985 Patriots team that made an unlikely appearance in Super Bowl 20 after being the first playoff team to win three road games, his best season that saw him post a career-high with 5.5 sacks.
He made All-American as a junior and then, as a senior, became the first Longhorn to win the Lombardi Trophy, the award presented to the best college football player in the country as chosen by the Lombardi Foundation, as well as the UPI Award given to the best lineman in the country. He was also named an All-American in his senior season and is one of only three members of the class to be two-time All-Americans.
Sims would also spend his entire career with the Patriots, playing in 74 games with 17 sacks and five recovered fumbles.
You can learn more about the College Football Hall of Fame and its inductees past and present here.
