SOUTH BEND, Ind. - As roommates at Southern California, Ronnie Lott and Marcus Allen talked about achieving greatness.
Lott was one of 24 inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. His induction comes six days after Allen was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Now, both have proof they have achieved greatness.
"I don't think either of us ever dreamed that being great meant that we would both be in both Halls of Fame. I think when we said great we were just trying to be the best that we could be," Lott said during enshrinement festivities.
Lott, who in 1980 led the nation with eight interceptions, was enshrined along with former Pitt quarterback Dan Marino, former Tennessee defensive tackle Reggie White, former Missouri tight end Kellen Winslow and 20 others.
Inductees signed autographs, played flag football and held a skills clinic for youngsters. Lott worked intensely with his group, recalling how important he held the words of encouragement he received from Deacon Jones and James Harris of the Los Angeles Rams.
"You couldn't help but be inspired," he said. "You never know. Something that I said today might encourage them the way those guys encouraged me."
Lott said he ran "video clips" through his mind as he listened to the other Hall of Fame inductees talk about their careers.
"As you look around the room, you can look at all the great players and you can feel the video clips of how they played the game," he said. "It's just an honor to be with so many great people."
During the flag football game, Marino threw for three touchdowns, took an elbow in the chin from former Texas tackle Jerry Sisemore while playing defense and tore the shorts of former East Central (Oklahoma) quarterback Brad Calip while going for his flags.
"It's always fun to play football," Marino said. "No matter what it is; to throw the football around is always fun."
Winslow was booed when he intercepted a pass intended for 85-year-old George "Sonny" Franck, a tailback with Minnesota from 1938-40.
"It's a game, people!" Winslow yelled to the crowd. "We came to play!"
Winslow described himself as an "accidental Hall of Famer," saying he never intended to play. Winslow said as a junior in high school he was a delivery man in East St. Louis, Ill., when coach Cornelius Perry asked him to try out for the team.
Winslow said he almost quit after the first practice, but Perry wouldn't let him. When college coaches came to the school recruiting other players, Perry urged them to look at Winslow.
"The University of Missouri thankfully took a chance on a kid who caught 17 passes in high school. They took a chance on a kid who had fewer touchdowns than the defensive end on the same team," he said.
Others enshrined included receiver John Jefferson (Arizona State), running back Napoleon McCallum (Navy) and Earle Bruce, who coached at the University of Tampa before going on to Ohio State and Colorado State. The other coach inducted was Carmen Cozza, who led Yale for 32 years.
GEORGIA: Freshman defensive end Aaron Scranton quit for the second time in as many seasons.
Signed as a scholarship player last year, Scranton left after two practices. This time, given a chance to return as a walk-on, Scranton lasted less than a week before telling coach Mark Richt on Friday that he was leaving the team.
Also, defensive tackle Ken Veal had X-rays after spraining his ankle, and freshman tailback Kregg Lumpkin aggravated a hamstring injury and is expected to miss at least a week.
LOUISVILLE: Unlike last year, no players talked at media day about crashing the Bowl Championship Series or going undefeated.
And instead of holding court on the field at Cardinal Stadium, the team met with reporters on its sun-baked practice field.
"We're not as hyped up as we were. We're more low-key and all about business," said senior Stefan LeFors, the front-runner to succeed Dave Ragone at quarterback.
The bold talk last August fizzled before the end of the month. The No. 17 Cardinals opened with a loss to archrival Kentucky and struggled through a 7-6 season. Then coach John L. Smith left for Michigan State.
Most preseason magazines have picked the Cardinals to finish in the middle of Conference USA this season. The low expectations suit new coach Bobby Petrino.
"It's something that really motivates us," he said.
MISSISSIPPI: Redshirt freshman offensive lineman James McCoy was released from his scholarship, coach David Cutcliffe said. Cutcliffe said the 6-foot-3, 325-pound McCoy did not report with other players and did not attend the start of practice Monday.
AUBURN-CLEMSON: Auburn has asked out of games scheduled for 2006 and '07, officials from both schools say. Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips said Auburn must find an acceptable replacement opponent or pay a $250,000 buyout.
