The College Football Hall of Fame's newest class includes an unusual member: the Goodyear Blimp.
The blimp will become the hall's first non-human, named on Monday as an honorary inductee for its contribution to the way fans view the game.
"College players and fans know that when the Goodyear Blimp shows up, it's a big game," said Archie Manning, the National Football Foundation chairman. "Its presence is intrinsically known and tied to the traditions that make college football great."
The blimp first hovered over a college game at the 1955 Rose Bowl when network executives wanted aerial coverage of the match-up between USC and Ohio State. Since then, it has participated in the broadcast of more than 2,000 games.
"For me, playing under the blimp felt like a payoff for the hard work that goes into game day," said Kirk Herbstreit, the former Ohio State quarterback who is now a television analyst. "So I'm excited it's getting recognized for its contributions."
As for the more traditional inductees, former USC star Troy Polamalu joins a list that includes Raghib Ismail, former coach Dennis Erickson and Vince Young, the Texas quarterback who defeated the Trojans in the 2005 national championship.
A two-time All-American at safety who later played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Polamalu becomes the 44th inductee with USC ties and the 13th in the past 20 years.
The class of 13 players and two coaches will be formally inducted at a later ceremony in New York.
