Jun 16, 2020 2 min read

Two players and one coach with local ties are among the 217 finalists on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame.

The National Football Foundation on Tuesday announced the 78 players and seven coaches from major college football who are up for selection to the Hall of Fame, which is based in Atlanta. There also are 99 players and 33 coaches from small colleges eligible for induction.

The College Hall of Fame class of 2021 will be announced early next year.

Among the local names on the ballot are Brad Tokar, a former running back at Fort Cherry High School and Westminster College; former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rich Erenberg, a Venetia resident who played college football at Colgate; and John Luckhardt, the former head coach at California University and Washington & Jefferson College.

Tokar was named first team Little All-American in 1990 and was a two-time first team NAIA All-American (1988 and 1990) He helped Westminster to two NAIA Division II national championships. Tokar is Westminster’s all-time leading rusher with 5,269 career yards.

Erenberg was named first team All-American in 1983. At Colagte, he broke 12 NCAA Division I-AA record and was named the ECAC Player of the Year in 1983… The all-time leading rusher in Colgate history, Erenberg played three seasons with the Steelers after being selected in the ninth round of the 1984 draft.

Luckhardt guided teams to 14 conference titles and 16 NCAA playoff appearances. He coached W&J to runner-up finishes in NCAA Division III and the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in 1992 and ’94. Luckhardt was the 1992 AFCA D-III Coach of the Year and was the all-time winningest coach at W&J and Cal.

Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia each were represented among the majors college finalists. Pitt has former quarterback Matt Cavanaugh and running back Craig “Ironhead” Heyward. Penn State’s finalists are running back D.J. Dozier and guard Steve Wisniewski, and West Virginia has defensive back Aaron Beasley and former coach Jim Carlen.