Why UCLA football greats Cade McNown, Ken Norton Jr are Hall of Famers

Former UCLA football players, QB Cade McNown and LB Ken Norton, Jr., have made the ballot for the 2020 College Football Hall of Fame. We look at their careers and tell you why they deserve to be inducted in the HOF.

It is quite an honor to play college football. It is even more of an honor to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. In the next year, that honor could be bestowed upon two former UCLA football players as QB Cade McNown and LB Ken Norton, Jr. have made the ballot for the 2020 College Football Hall of Fame.

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On Monday, the National Football Foundation and the College Hall of Fame released their list of 76 FBS nominees for the 2020 ballot which will be sent to over 12,000 National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame members. Each member will vote on their selections for the next group of inductees.

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The class will be officially announced in January 2020 in the days before the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. The class will be formally inducted on December 8, 2020, at the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner.

So why should voters look to elect McNown and Norton? Let us look at their achievements.

McNown seems like a no-brainer. Though he struggled in his first two seasons (he played for UCLA from 1995-1998), he became a household name in his junior and senior years. In his final two seasons in Westwood, he accumulated a 20-4 record. His junior year led to the Bruins going 10-2, a Pac-10 Championship, a Cotton Bowl victory, being named a finalist for the Davey O’Brien Award, and an AP All-American selection.

And even though the 1998 season is looked upon as forgettable (mostly by Bruins fans), it was still quite the noteworthy year for McNown. That is when he led the Bruins to a 10-2 record, another Pac-10 Championship, a school-record 20-game win streak, and a Rose Bowl appearance. On a personal level, he was once again an All-American selection, was the Pac-10 co-offensive Player of the Year, won the Johnny Unitas Award and came in third for the Heisman Trophy. At the end of his career, he also found himself as the Pac-10’s all-time leader in total offense. McNown was inducted into the UCLA Hall of Fame in 2009.

Norton also left a lasting legacy in Westwood, albeit on the other side of the line of scrimmage. In his four years (1984-1987), he had helped the Bruins win four consecutive bowl games (in order: Fiesta, Rose, Freedom, and Aloha). He also helped the team to two Pac-10 Championships (1985, 1987).

Though he was a threat in his first two seasons, it was his last two that he became a defensive leader. In his junior and senior year, he led the team in tackles with 106 and 125, respectively. He finished his college career with a total of 339. That was good for fifth in school history at the time.

Additionally, in 1987 Norton was an AP All-American selection, a Butkus Award finalist, a Pac-10 All-Conference selection and the team’s defensive MVP. And if that was not enough, he was inducted into the UCLA Hall of Fame in 1998.

With all of that in mind, there should be no question about McNown and Norton being voted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

For more information on McNown and Norton (and to see where they rank on the Go Joe Bruin list of the Top 30 Players of All-Time), click on the link above.