Aaron Donald, 'Ironhead' Heyward top list of NFF College Hall of Fame nominees

Penn Hills native Aaron Donald and late star running back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward of Pitt headline more than a dozen former college football players with Western Pennsylvania ties who received nominations for the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame.

The NFF Honors Court will consider 79 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision group and 100 players and 35 coaches from lower divisional ranks. An announcement on the finalists will be made early next year, and the group will be inducted Dec. 8, 2026, in Las Vegas.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a handful of alumni on the NFF ballot, including Pro Football Hall of Fame guard Alan Faneca. He was a consensus first-team All-American and LSU’s first Outland Trophy finalist before he embarked on his pro career with the Steelers.

Other former Steelers on the ballot are Texas defensive tackle Casey Hampton, Indiana quarterback Antwaan Randle-El, Louisiana Tech wide receiver Troy Edwards and Michigan State tackle Flozell Adams. Represented on the small school ballot are running back Rich Erenberg of Colgate and offensive lineman Ted Petersen of Eastern Illinois. Erenberg played for the Steelers in the 1980s, and Petersen appeared in 94 games with the Steelers from 1977-87.

Pitt’s representatives are Donald, Heyward and Matt Cavanaugh, the first-team All-American quarterback who led the Panthers to the national championship in 1976. Donald, a unanimous All-American in 2013, continues to lead Pitt in career and single-season tackles for loss.

Heyward, father of Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, was a first-team All-American in 1987 when he led the nation in rushing.

Penn State’s former players on the ballot are defensive end Courtney Brown and running back Ki-Jana Carter. Brown was a unanimous All-American in 1999 and is the school’s career leader in tackles for loss and sacks. Carter, the Heisman Trophy runner-up in 1994, helped Penn State finish 12-0 with a No. 2 national ranking.

West Virginia’s representative on the ballot is defensive back Aaron Beasley, an All-American in 1995 who led the nation in interceptions.

Among the nine FBS coaching candidates being considered is Jim Carlen, who coached at West Virginia from 1966-69. He was the 1973 national coach of the year at Texas Tech and coached Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers at South Carolina. He compiled a 25-13-3 record at West Virginia.

On the small-school coaching list is Slippery Rock’s George Mihalik, who coached at the school from 1988-2015. He had 22 winning seasons in 28 years and was a six-time PSAC coach of the year.

Players from local colleges on the small-school ballot are Clarion tight end Gary McCauley, Carnegie Mellon linebacker Kenneth Murawski and Westminster running back Brad Tokar. McCauley was a two-time All-American selection (1980-81) and holds the school record with 135 receptions and 1,736 receiving yards.

Murawski was named an All-American in 1981 and finished his career with 243 tackles and nine interceptions.

Tokar was named an All-American in 1990, and he led Westminster to two NAIA Division II national championships. He remains the school’s all-time leading rusher with 5,269 yards.