Sam Mills, Jr., an All-American linebacker for Montclair State who went on to great success in the National Football League (NFL) as a player and a coach has been selected by the National Football Foundation to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, Divisional Class of 2009. Mills, who passed away in 2005, will be inducted posthumously during the Enshrinement Festival to be held on July 17-19, 2009 at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana.

The all-time leader in career tackles at Montclair State with 501, Mills played here from 1977-1980. He was a three-time NJAC First Team All-Star and was named the New Jersey Collegiate Writers Defensive Player of the Year for three straight seasons (1978-1980). After Montclair State, he went on to play in the United States Football League and later in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers and was selected to the Pro Bowl five times. He became a coach for the Carolina Panthers after retiring as a player in 1997.

Since its founding in 1947, fewer than 1000 individuals have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. It is a tremendous honor for the players, their families, and their colleges considering that during that time, according to the National Football Foundation, there have been 4.8 million college football players.

Read the full press release about the 2009 Divisional College Football Hall of Fame Class.