Troy’s Larry Blakeney to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame
Legendary Troy football head coach Larry Blakeney will be enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame as a member of the 2025 class, the National Football Foundation announced Wednesday.
The all-time winningest coach in both Troy and Sun Belt Conference history, Larry Blakeney led the Trojans to eight conference titles while becoming one of only two coaches in history to guide a program from Division II ultimately to the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Birmingham, Alabama, native now becomes the first-ever player or coach in Troy history or Sun Belt Conference (tenure came during SBC membership) history to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
“I think one of the most important appointments at Troy University in athletics over the last four decades was when we selected Coach Larry Blakeney to head our football program,” Troy Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr. said. “His record speaks for itself. He’s a great coach, but even a better man. It has been an honor to work with him over a long period of time, and in my estimation, there is no one more deserving of this recognition than Larry Blakeney. He is the epitome of what a coach should be.”
Blakeney will be joined by Urban Meyer, Nick Saban and Larry Korver as the coaches in the 2025 class, while 18 former players were also selected for induction.
The 2025 class will be officially inducted during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on December 9, 2025, at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The inductees will also be recognized at their respective collegiate institutions with NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes during the fall. Their accomplishments will forever be immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
“Coach Blakeney’s roots are intertwined with the history and tradition of Troy Football, and there is nobody more deserving to grace the halls of the College Football Hall of Fame than him,” Troy Director of Athletics Brent Jones said.
During his 24 seasons as the Troy head coach, Blakeney won 61.1 percent of his games, posting a career record of 178-113-1. He led the Trojans to five bowl games, securing victories in the 2006 and 2010 New Orleans bowls and appearances in the 2004 Silicon Valley Bowl, the 2008 New Orleans Bowl and the 2010 GMAC Bowl. Prior to Troy’s transition to the FBS, he guided the Trojans to seven FCS playoff appearances in eight seasons.
He remains the all-time winningest coach in Sun Belt Conference history, holding a 20-win advantage over the next closest competitor. He guided Troy to eight conference championships, including three in the Southland Conference, before leading the Trojans to a Sun Belt-record five consecutive titles from 2006 to 2010.
His teams regularly competed against and defeated Power Five opponents, including a signature 24-14 victory over No. 17-ranked Missouri in 2004. He also notched Power Five wins against Mississippi State and Oklahoma State. He was named conference Coach of the Year four times, twice in the Southland and twice in the Sun Belt. He was a two-time AFCA Regional Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2000. In 1993, during the program’s first full year at the FCS level, he led the Trojans to a 10-0-1 regular-season record, the first undefeated regular season in school history. In 1995, his team finished 11-0 in the regular season, marking the first undefeated and untied season in program annals.
Blakeney mentored 14 First Team All-Americans, including 1999 Buck Buchanan Award winner Al Lucas, and he coached 2000 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Nick Colbert. His tenure included 86 First Team All-Conference selections, including three Sun Belt Players of the Year.
He oversaw significant renovations to Veterans Memorial Stadium, increasing its capacity from 12,000 to 17,500 in 1998 and later to 30,000 in 2003. Troy named the playing surface at Veterans Memorial Stadium “Larry Blakeney Field.” He is one of only two head coaches, alongside UCF’s Gene McDowell, to successfully lead a program from Division II to the FBS.
Blakeney has been inducted into the Wiregrass Sports Hall of Fame, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, and the inaugural class of the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame. Beyond coaching, Blakeney remained active in civic service, earning the Chilton County Auburn Club “Unsung Hero” Award. A frequent speaker at local events, he has dedicated his time to numerous organizations. A former Auburn quarterback, Blakeney made history as the first sophomore to start at the position for legendary Hall of Fame coach Shug Jordan.
(Press Release from Troy University)
