Former Notre Dame DB Todd Lyght lands on College Football Hall of Fame ballot

On3 imageby:Tyler Horka06/05/23

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Notre Dame has more College Football Hall of Fame inductees than any other program in the sport’s history. Another name could be added to the current list of 53 (including players and coaches).

All-American defensive back Todd Lyght, who was a member of the last Notre Dame team to win a national championship in 1988, is on the 2024 Hall of Fame ballot. He’s one of 78 players and nine coaches up for induction.

His career accolades ooze with HOF worthiness.

Lyght, 54, is the only Notre Dame alum to start on a national championship team, earn unanimous All-America honors, be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, start on a Super Bowl winning team and earn NFL All-Pro honors. Many of the game’s greats have called South Bend home over the years. None have put together that detailed of a résumé.

Lyght was recruited as a wide receiver but quickly switched to the defensive side of the ball. He was a three-year starter and a two-time consensus All-American who finished his career with 161 total tackles, 20.5 passes broken up and 11 interceptions. His eight INTs in 1989 are tied for the third-most in a single season in Notre Dame history.

The St. Louis Rams took Lyght with the No. 5 overall selection in the 1991 NFL Draft. He turned in a professional career that lasted a dozen years with the Rams and Detroit. He finished it with 37 interceptions. The defining moment of his NFL career was a field goal block in a seven-point Super Bowl victory for the Rams over the Tennessee Titans in 2000.

Lyght stuck with the game as a coach for a decade following his retirement after the 2002 season. He was the defensive backs coach at Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High School from 2009-10 before ascending to the college ranks as a defensive intern at Oregon from 2011-12. He turned that stint into an opportunity in the NFL as an assistant defensive backs coach with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2013-14. From 2015-19, Lyght was the defensive backs coach at Notre Dame.

The College Football Hall of Fame class of 2024 will be announced early next year. The class will be officially inducted on Dec. 10, 2024.

Preorder Blue & Gold Illustrated’s 2023 Notre Dame Football Preview magazine before June 12 and get free shipping!!! On3 subscribers should go to The Lou Somogyi Board for discounted pricing.

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