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Arizona State football has a rich history that extends over a century's worth of student-athletes and coaching staff. In 2010, the school took proactive steps to give our Sun Devil legends the due they deserve by creating The Ring of Honor.
The original class was included nine ASU standouts, and the list was comprised of Frank Kush, Wilford "Whizzer" White, Bobby Mulgado, Ron Pritchard, Danny White, Mike Haynes, John Jefferson, Randall McDaniel and Pat Tillman. Now that's an impressive group of football heroes.
Each year, ASU hosts a "Ring of Honor Game" that enshrines a new class of legends into the exclusive club. At most, four new inductees can be selected per calendar year.
The eligibility requirements are clear: "To be eligible, a player must have been out of college for a minimum of 20 years and broadly acknowledged to have had an outstanding career at Arizona State University," ASU wrote in a 2010 press release. "The player led initiative will also include a scholarship component whereby former players help propel Sun Devil Football successfully [in] the new Pac-12 conference."
In essence, the Ring of Honor binds together the past and the present, while helping to secure the future of Sun Devil football for generations to come. With strong traditions, Arizona State can only continue to add to their list of greats that deserve an induction to the Ring.
In 2011, Sun Devil football added Curley Culp, Charley Taylor, Woody Green and John Henry Johnson to the Ring of Honor during the Territorial Cup game against Arizona.
This upcoming season, four more Devils will enter the Ring: Bob Breunig, Junior Ah You, J.D. Hill and Jim Jeffcoat. The Ring of Honor Game will take place on October 18th when ASU takes on the Oregon Ducks.
With plenty more legendary Devils yet to be selected to join the Ring, expect to see this tradition carry on for many glorious years. If my calculations are correct, Jake Plummer would be eligible in 2016.
See the previous entries on House of Sparky's 100 day countdown here