Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George has been selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
George's selection was announced Monday on ESPN's "College Football Live."
"Wow, I was speechless," George said when asked how he reacted to getting the news. He said he doesn't usually answer the phone when he doesn't recognize the number but something told him to answer that call.
He thanked former Ohio State teammates such as Kirk Herbstreit, Robert Smith, Raymont Harris, Willie "Chico" Nelson, Shawn Springs and Orlando Pace for making him a better player.
"I was forced just because of the talent surrounding me to go out there and work harder than anybody else just to see the field and it led me to a Hall of Fame career," he said.
The rest of the class of 14 former players and two former coaches will be announced Tuesday at a news conferences at the NASDAQ MarketSite. Three other members of the newest Hall of Fame class will ring the opening bell at the NASDAQ.
George won the Heisman in 1995 as a senior and finished his career at Ohio State with 3,768 yards, 44 rushing touchdowns and a school-record five 200-yard games.
Former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr also will be inducted this year, the Detroit News reported Saturday. Carr was on the ballot for the first time.
The late Derrick Thomas of Alabama, quarterback Tommie Frazier of Nebraska and tailback Lorenzo White of Michigan State are among the college football stars who made their first appearance on the ballot this season.
The National Football Foundation announced the names of 79 players and nine coaches on this year's ballot.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.