Highlights of David 2026 Nebraska Football Hall of Fame Inductees – University of Nebraska

A pair of former Husker greats with more than a decade of NFL experience are among a class of six Nebraska standouts who will be inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame this fall. The Nebraska Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame will also honor a State College All-American, a Hall of Fame coach and a longtime Nebraska radio voice.

Husker football highlights inducted into the Hall of Fame class of 2026 include defensive back Charles Fryar (1980s era), offensive lineman Jim Scott (1990s), fullback Cory Schlesinger (1990s), I-back Cory Ross (2000s), linebacker David Lavonte (2010s) and Late Gambler Sam Foltz (2010s).

Joe Plananskya two-time All-America tight end at Chadron State, is this year’s State College inductee. The second annual Nebraska Football Hall of Fame Legend Award will be presented Frank Solichmember of the Hall, both as a player and as a coach. Knows Pavelkaa member of the Husker Football radio crew for twenty years, will receive the Lyell Bremser Special Merit Award.

The 2026 Nebraska Football Hall of Fame class will be officially inducted during a ceremony on Friday, September 4. The group will be recognized the next day at Memorial Stadium when Nebraska opens the 2026 season against Ohio.

David becomes a member of the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame after announcing his retirement from the NFL earlier this year. In his two years with the Huskers, David collected 285 tackles, including a school-record 152 tackles in 2010, earning him second-team All-America and first-team All-Big 12 honors. In his senior season, David had 133 tackles and was a first-team All-America selection and Big Ten Linebacker of the Year. David spent his entire 14-year NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was a three-time All-Pro selection and was part of the Bucs Super Bowl LV championship team. David had more than 1,700 tackles in his distinguished professional career.

One of a long line of great Husker fullbacks, Schlesinger enjoyed a productive NFL career after making history in Nebraska’s backfield. He scored a pair of touchdowns to cap the Huskers’ come-from-behind 24-17 victory over the Miami Hurricanes in the 1995 Orange Bowl, which gave Nebraska its first national title since 1971. Schlesinger rushed for 456 yards as a senior, averaging 7.2 yards per carry, and finished his career with more than 700 rushing yards. A sixth-round selection by the Detroit Lions, Schlesinger played in the Lions’ backfield for 12 seasons. A three-time Pro Bowler and member of Detroit’s 75^e Anniversary Team, Schlesinger finished his NFL career with 473 rushing yards and 1,445 receiving yards.

A native of New Jersey, Fryar was a two-time All-Big Eight selection in the Husker secondary in the late 1980s. In his three seasons as a starting corner for the Big Red, Fryar totaled 121 tackles, including 90 solo stops. He intercepted seven passes, including a memorable 86-yard return for a touchdown against Oklahoma State in 1988. He added 19 pass breakups, two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. Fryar’s play as a senior in 1988 helped Nebraska finish in the top 10 nationally in pass defense and total defense en route to a Big Eight Conference title.

Scott was a key part of a Husker offensive line that paved the way to back-to-back NCAA titles and back-to-back Big Eight titles in 1991 and 1992. An Ansley, Neb., native who began his career at UNK, Scott was the starting center on a 1992 team that averaged 328 rushing yards per game while also ranking second nationally in scoring. Scott was co-captain as a senior and earned first-team All-Big Eight honors as a senior and was also an Academic All-District selection. Scott split his time at center in 1991, when the Huskers averaged more than 350 yards per game on the ground.

Ross ranks as one of the best all-around running backs in school history, excelling as a runner and receiver in the Husker backfield. The Denver native ranks in the top 15 in school history in rushing yards, amassing 2,743 yards in his career from 2002 to 2005. Ross was the Huskers’ Offensive MVP as both a junior and senior and earned All-Big 12 honors in each of his final two seasons. As a junior, Ross eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark with 1,102 rushing yards. He added 71 catches for 729 yards out of the backfield, including 43 receptions in his senior season.

The late Sam Foltz was one of the best punters in Nebraska history in his three seasons as a starter. Foltz was the Big Ten Punter of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection in the 2015 season, when he averaged better than 44 yards per punt. A native of Greeley, Neb., Foltz was an honorable mention All-Big Ten choice as a sophomore in 2014, and he averaged better than 42.6 yards per boot over his three-year career. Foltz was also a standout in the classroom and in the community before he was tragically lost before his senior season.

Joe Planansky was a four-year starter and three-time unanimous all-conference selection for tight end Chadron State in the 1990s. Planansky caught 154 passes for 1,879 yards during his career and was a second-team All-American as a junior and a first-team selection as a senior. He was the first Chadron State player selected to play in the Snow Bowl in Fargo, ND. He signed a contract with the Dolphins and played in two games in 1995. Planansky was inducted into the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in 2005.

Frank Solich receives the Hall’s Legends Award. Solich was an integral part of Nebraska Football’s success for five decades and has been inducted into the Hall of Fame both as a player (1992) and as a coach (2012). Solich was part of Bob Devaney’s first recruiting class at Nebraska and played all-conference fullback in the mid-1960s. He was an assistant coach from 1979 to 1997 before taking over as head coach in 1998. Solich led Nebraska to 58 wins in six seasons and was the conference coach of the year twice. He then spent 16 seasons as head coach at Ohio University, where he led the Bobcats to 115 wins and 11 bowl appearances.

Kent Pavelka receives the Lyell Bremser Special Merit Award. Pavelka has been a radio voice for Husker Athletics since 1974, when he joined the KFAB football radio team as a color commentator alongside Bremser, the award’s namesake. Following Bremser’s retirement, Pavelka took over football play-by-play duties for twelve seasons from 1984 to 1995, calling 1994 and 1995 Husker national championship seasons. Pavelka has also served as Nebraska basketball’s play-by-play announcer for more than 40 seasons and has called more than 1,000 Husker hoops games.