Classics in the Classic
Mancha, Taylor, Perles among 6 Blue-Gray Hall inductees
Posted: Wednesday August 19, 1998 02:35 PM
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Perles was head coach at Michigan State, his alma mater, from 1983-94 and coached in six bowl games Diane Johnson/Allsport |
MONTGOMERY, Alabama (AP) -- Former Alabama center Vaughn Mancha was one of six players named Wednesday to the Blue-Gray All-Star Football Classic Hall of Fame.
Mancha, a member of Alabama's All-Century team and a 1946 Blue-Gray participant, joins players Marion Campbell and John Taylor, and coaches George Perles, John Mackovic and Allyn McKeen as 1998 inductees.
The six will be honored at an October 6 banquet and induction ceremony.
Mancha was a four-year starter at Alabama from 1944-48, earning consensus All-Southeastern Conference and All-American honors. He was athletics director at Florida State from 1959-71 and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1990.
Campbell, a member of Georgia's All-Time team and a 1951 Blue-Gray participant, was a highly regarded defensive tackle. During his three-year career as a starter for Georgia, the Bulldogs held 17 opponents to seven points or less. He is known as a great defensive NFL coach -- helping develop the Minnesota Vikings' "Purple People Eaters" and the "Fearsome Foursome" with the Los Angeles Rams. He was also a head coach for the Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Taylor, a 1985 Blue-Gray participant from Delaware State, played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1986-94. He is the only NFL player to ever score two touchdowns of 90-plus yards in one game. He was named punt returner on the Silver Anniversary Super Bowl team and won three NFL championships.
Perles began a 10-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1972 and helped develop the "Steel Curtain" while winning four Super Bowl rings. He was head coach at Michigan State, his alma mater, from 1983-94 and coached in six bowl games. His 1988 team won the Rose Bowl and he coached in the 1991 and 1994 Blue-Gray games.
Mackovic, a former quarterback at Wake Forest, went on to coach at his alma mater in 1978. He coached in the 1980 Blue-Gray game before becoming an assistant coach for the Dallas Cowboys in 1981. He later went on to become head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, before taking the top job at Illinois in 1988. He went on to become head coach at Texas and led the Longhorns to five straight winning seasons.
McKeen, who played at Tennessee, is the winningest coach is Mississippi State history. He coached in four Blue-Gray games in the 1940s, before retiring and moving to Montgomery in 1949 to run a sporting goods business. He became a general manager of the Blue-Gray game in 1950 and held that job until 1975.
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