Notre Dame Football: Bavaro, Lyght up for College Football HOF
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame Football program has plenty of members of the College Football Hall of Fame, and two more are finalists for the honor in 2021.
When it comes to the history of college football, you cannot begin to write about it without writing about the Notre Dame Football program. Producing numerous All-Americans, Heisman Trophy winners, and NFL players, the Irish have a long-standing history of being one of the elite programs in history.
That is why it seems like every year, at least one member of the Notre Dame Football program is up for enshrinement in the College Football Hall of Fame. In fact, the College Football Hall of Fame used to make its home in South Bend, before it was eventually moved to Atlanta.
In 2021, two more members of the Irish family are up for induction, one on each side of the ball.
Notre Dame Football could see two players inducted in 2021
This year, two standouts from the Irish program are eligible to be immortalized in the CFHOF, and those players are tight end Mark Bavaro and cornerback Todd Lyght. Each had their own impact on the history of the program, and each is more than worthy to be up for such an honor.
For Bavaro, this is not the first time he has been on the ballot but could be the year that he finally gets in. In his senior season, Bavaro was an All-American, catching over 30 balls for nearly 400 yards. He would end up being a fourth-round pick of the New York Giants, and won two Super Bowls while being named an All-Pro in back-to-back years in 1986 and 1987.
Lyght was a key to a national title team for the Irish, helping Notre Dame to a win in the Fiesta Bowl as a sophomore. He would be named an All-American his final two seasons on campus and was eventually the No. 5 overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft. In 1989, he hauled in an impressive eight interceptions.
As it stands, the Irish will likely be passed over in terms of who gets inducted in 2021, although both Bavaro and Lyght are all-time players at the school. Lyght has the better resume for what he did on campus and was twice named an All-American, so if any of the two is going to get in, it will likely be him.