Nebraska announces six members for 2026 Football Hall of Fame class

Nebraska announced its six members to be inducted into the 2026 Nebraska Football Hall of Fame class on Tuesday. The class includes: defensive back Charles Fryar, offensive lineman Jim Scott, fullback Cory Schlesinger, I-back Cory Ross, linebacker Lavonte David and late punter Sam Foltz. 

The class is to be officially inducted at a ceremony on Friday, Sept. 4. The group will be recognized on Saturday at Memorial Stadium during the season opener against Ohio. 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 long-time Nebraska radio voice.

The three honorees are tight end Joe Planansky, fullback and former head coach Frank Solich and longtime Husker Football radio announcer Kent Pavelka. Planansky will be honored as this year's state college inductee. Solich will receive the second Nebraska Football Hall of Fame Legend Award. Pavelka will receive the Lyell Bremser Special Merit Award.

Lavonte David (Linebacker, 2010-11)

David heads the six inductees, earning his induction after announcing his retirement from the NFL earlier this year. He spent 14 years in the NFL, all with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, earning three All-Pro selections and a Super Bowl LV championship. David surpassed 1,700 tackles in his NFL career. He played two years with Nebraska, totaling 285 tackles, including a school-record 152 tackles in 2010, earning him second-team All-America and first-team All-Big 12. In his final season, David earned 133 tackles and was a first-team All-America selection and the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year.

Cory Schlesinger (Fullback, 1990-94)

Another longtime NFL standout, Schlesinger played 13 seasons in the NFL, primarily with the Detroit Lions and finished his career with three Pro Bowl selections. He racked up 473 rushing yards and 1,445 receiving yards in his career. The sixth-round draft pick also posted a strong senior season for Nebraska in 1994, during which he rushed for 456 yards and averaged 7.2 yards per carry. Schlesinger scored four touchdowns in his senior year, two coming in the Huskers' 24-17 win over the Miami Hurricanes in the 1995 Orange Bowl, giving Nebraska its first national title since 1971.

Charles Fryar (Defensive Back, 1984-88)

Starting at cornerback for three seasons, Fryar totaled 121 tackles in his career, including 90 solo. He also broke up 19 passes, earned two tackles for loss, recovered one fumble and intercepted seven passes. His highlight pick occurred against Oklahoma State in 1988 when Fryar took an interception back 86 yards for a score. Fryar helped Nebraska finish in the top 10 nationally in pass defense and total defense in 1988 and earned him his second All-Big Eight selection.  

Jim Scott (Center, 1989-92)

Being a part of back-to-back NCAA rushing titles and Big Eight titles, Scott headed the pipeline for Nebraska after transferring in from Nebraska-Kearney. He first shared time at center in 1991, taking part when the Huskers averaged over 350 rushing yards per game. Scott started at center his senior year in 1992 and helped the team average 328 rushing yards per game and rank second nationally in scoring. He earned first-team All-Big Eight honors.

Cory Ross (I-Back, 2001-05)

Ranking as one of the top running backs in school history, Ross delivered in rushing and receiving yards. He ranks in the top 15 in school history in rushing yards, standing at 2,743 yards. Ross earned Huskers’ Offensive MVP and All-Big 12 accolades in each of his final two seasons. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2004, tallying 1,102 rushing yards. He also finished his career with 71 catches for 729 yards.

Sam Foltz (Punter, 2012-16)

Considered one of the top punters in school history, the late Sam Foltz started in each of his three seasons. In his junior year, he won Big Ten Punter of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection after averaging over 44 yards per punt. Foltz was also an honorable-mention All-Big Ten choice in 2014 and averaged over 42.6 yards in his three-year career. He was a standout in the classroom and in the community before tragically passing away during his senior season.

Joe Planansky (Tight End, Chadron State)

Earning the honor as this year's state college inductee, Planansky was a four-year starter and a three-time unanimous all-conference selection for Chadron State at tight end in the 1990s. He wrangled 154 passes for 1,879 yards during his career and earned second-team All-American his junior year and first-team as a senior. Planansky then signed with the Miami Dolphins and appeared in two games in 1995. He was also inducted into the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in 2005.

Frank Solich (Head coach, fullback)

A longtime coach and a former Husker fullback, Solich will receive the Hall’s Legends Award after being an integral part of Nebraska Football’s success for parts of five decades. The former Nebraska head coach was a member of Bob Devaney’s first recruiting class and starred as an all-conference fullback in the 1960s, helping the Huskers begin their rise to national powerhouse status.

Following his playing career, Solich served as an assistant coach from 1979 to 1997 before becoming head coach in 1998. He guided the Huskers to 58 wins in six seasons and won conference coach of the year twice. He then served as head coach at Ohio University for 16 seasons, guiding the Bobcats to 115 victories and 11 bowl appearances. Solich had been inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame as both a player (1992) and coach (2012).

Kent Pavelka (Radio voice, 1974-Present)

Rounding out the honorees is the longtime radio voice for Nebraska. Pavelka will receive the Lyell Bremser Special Merit Award for serving the Huskers as their radio voice since 1974. He joined the KFAB football radio crew as a color commentator alongside Lyell Bremser, after whom the award is named. Pavelka took over football play-by-play duties for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1995, calling Husker national championship seasons in 1994 and 1995, following Bremser’s retirement. Pavelka has also served as Nebraska basketball’s play-by-play announcer for more than 40 seasons.

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This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: Nebraska announces six members for 2026 Football Hall of Fame class