Dickenson officially enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame

Dave Dickenson's Hall of Fame journey came full circle Friday when the National Football Foundation (NFF) officially entered him into the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Ga., at the Class of 2018 Enshrinement Ceremony, presented by AllState.

As an inductee, Dickenson received a commemorative glass blade in recognition of his legendary achievements at Montana, which are immortalized with a permanent display at the Atlanta facility.

The enshrinement celebration is part of the NFF's Salute to the class of 2018 at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, set for Saturday, December, 29, where Michigan will take on Florida at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Joining Dickenson in Atlanta were fellow class of 2018 Hall of Famers Kerry Collins (Penn State), Dana Howard (Illinois), Paul Palmer (Temple), Aaron Taylor (Nebraska), Trevor Cobb (Rice), Coach Mel Tjeerdsma (Austin College, Northwest Missouri State), and Coach Frank Beamer (Murray State, Virginia Tech).

Just over 12 months have passed since Dickenson was first notified he would be part of the Hall of Fame's class of 2018, kicking off one of the most memorable years possible in the world of sports.

The "Legend of the Fall" returned to Missoula in September for an NFF on-campus salute during the Grizzlies' 41-34 win over Sacramento State. It was a rare trip back to the place where he led Montana to its first-ever National Championship, and his former team gave him a tip-of-the-hat with throwback copper and gold uniforms to mark the occasion, as well as a throwback line of merchandise bearing his name, with the proceeds going to fund a football scholarship.

Go behind the scenes of an incredible weekend with #GrizFB legend Dave Dickenson.

Thanks for being here Dave, and congratulations on your induction into the College Football Hall of Fame!#GoGriz @cfbhall @NFFNetwork @calstampeders pic.twitter.com/Jy8xZnbTjT
— Montana Griz FB (@MontanaGrizFB) September 24, 2018

As the head coach of the Canadian Football League's Calgary Stampeders, Dickenson returned to the spotlight in November when the Stamps avenged two-straight losses to win his first Grey Cup Championship as head coach.

With the Grey Cup win, Dickenson became the only 2018 College Football Hall of Fame inductee to win a state championship in high school as a player, a college national championship as a player, a championship as a professional player, and a championship as a professional head coach.

Just days after his Grey Cup win with, Dickenson and his family were off to New York City for the NFF College Football Hall of Fame ceremony, where he was officially inducted alongside the game's elite at a black-tie ceremony at the Midtown Hilton.

Dickenson is only the third person from the state of Montana to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The others: Grizzly great William "Wild Bill" Kelly was inducted in 1969, as was former head coach Bernie Bierman, who mentored the Grizzly football and basketball teams from 1919-1921 before winning five national championships at the University of Minnesota.

Dickenson was named the Walter Payton Award winner for the best player in D1-AA football in 1995, and a five-time All-American. His #15 jersey is one of only two retired by UM, with Terry Dillon's being the other.

Although the NCAA did not recognize playoff statistics at the time, he completed the regular season with a school, and then-Big Sky Conference single-season record 4,176 passing yards. Dickenson's 379.6 yards per game in 1995 rank fifth all-time in FCS history and still stand as a school and conference record. His record-setting senior season also extended off the field where he was named an NFF National Scholar-Athlete and earned his third consecutive Academic All-America honor.

A three-time team MVP, his school-record 11,080 career passing yards are sixth in conference history, and his 33 career wins remain a program best. A member of the University of Montana's Grizzly Athletics Hall of Fame, Dickenson's No. 15 jersey is one of only two retired jerseys.

Dickenson was named the greatest male athlete in the history of the Big Sky Conference on the 50th anniversary of the league. Only three other players from the Big Sky have been enshrined at the College Football Hall of Fame: John Friesz (Idaho), Frank Hawkins (Nevada), and Randy Trautman (Boise State). Dickenson is also the only player from the FCS/DI-AA ranks to be inducted in 2018.

Only 997 players and 217 coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.26 million who have played or coached the game during the past 149 years. Meaning fewer than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of the individuals who have played the game have been deemed worthy of this distinction.

University of Montana Athletics

Dickenson officially enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame

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