Troy coach, Auburn linebacker joining Nick Saban in College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025
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While Nick Saban got to hear the news a few days early, the rest of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame class has officially been announced. And it includes two more names with deep ties to the state.
Birmingham natives Larry Blakeney and Gregg Carr will be inducted into the hall this year.
Blakeney coached multiple high schools before making the move to the collegiate level as an assistant at Auburn. He went on to Troy, spending 24 seasons with the Trojans and winning 178 games.
Carr was a leader on the Auburn defense in the 1980s, being named an All-American in 1983. He also led the Tigers to an SEC title before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Keep reading to learn more about both individuals and their careers in football.
Note: These bios were pulled from the National Football Foundation. See the full Class of 2025 on its website.
Larry Blakeney
“I think one of the most important appointments at Troy University in athletics over the last four decades was when we selected Coach Larry Blakeney to head our football program. His record speaks for itself. He’s a great coach, but even a better man. It has been an honor to work with him over a long period of time, and in my estimation, there is no one more deserving of this recognition than Larry Blakeney. He is the epitome of what a coach should be.”
~ Troy Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr.
The all-time winningest coach in both Troy and Sun Belt Conference history, Larry Blakeney led the Trojans to eight conference titles while becoming one of only two coaches in history to guide a program from Division II ultimately to the Football Bowl Subdivision. The Birmingham, Alabama, native now becomes the first-ever player or coach in Troy history to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
During his 24 seasons as the Troy head coach, Blakeney won 61.1 percent of his games, posting a career record of 178-113-1. He led the Trojans to five bowl games, securing victories in the 2006 and 2010 New Orleans bowls and appearances in the 2004 Silicon Valley Bowl, the 2008 New Orleans Bowl and the 2010 GMAC Bowl. Prior to Troy’s transition to the FBS, he guided the Trojans to seven FCS playoff appearances in eight seasons.
He remains the all-time winningest coach in Sun Belt Conference history, holding a 20-win advantage over the next closest competitor. He guided Troy to eight conference championships, including three in the Southland Conference before leading the Trojans to a Sun Belt-record five consecutive titles from 2006 to 2010.
His teams regularly competed against and defeated Power Five opponents, including a signature 24-14 victory over No. 17-ranked Missouri in 2004. He also notched Power Five wins against Mississippi State and Oklahoma State. He was named conference Coach of the Year four times, twice in the Southland and twice in the Sun Belt. He was a two-time AFCA Regional Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2000. In 1993, during the program’s first full year at the FCS level, he led the Trojans to a 10-0-1 regular-season record, the first undefeated regular season in school history. In 1995, his team finished 11-0 in the regular season, marking the first undefeated and untied season in program annals.
Blakeney mentored 14 First Team All-Americans, including 1999 Buck Buchanan Award winner Al Lucas, and he coached 2000 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Nick Colbert. His tenure included 86 First Team All-Conference selections, including three Sun Belt Players of the Year.
He oversaw significant renovations to Veterans Memorial Stadium, increasing its capacity from 12,000 to 17,500 in 1998 and later to 30,000 in 2003. Troy named the playing surface at Veterans Memorial Stadium “Larry Blakeney Field.” He is one of only two head coaches, alongside UCF’s Gene McDowell, to successfully lead a program from Division II to the FBS.
Blakeney has been inducted into the Wiregrass Sports Hall of Fame, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, and the inaugural class of the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame. Beyond coaching, Blakeney remained active in civic service, earning the Chilton County Auburn Club “Unsung Hero” Award. A frequent speaker at local events, he has dedicated his time to numerous organizations. A former Auburn quarterback, Blakeney made history as the first sophomore to start at the position for legendary Hall of Fame coach Shug Jordan.
Gregg Carr
A consensus First Team All-American in 1984, Carr was Auburn’s leading tackler as a sophomore (125 tackles), junior (136) and the second leading tackler as a senior (139). A two-time First Team All-SEC selection and 1984 SEC Lineman of the Year, Carr amassed 453 career tackles, currently ranking him second in school history. His career totals include 289 solo tackles, which also rank second in the school record books, and nine sacks. His 139 total tackles as a senior rank eighth in school annals for a single season.
Playing for College Football Hall of Fame coach Pat Dye, Carr helped the Tigers to a 34-14 record, a SEC title and victories in the 1982 Tangerine Bowl, the 1984 Sugar Bowl and the 1984 Liberty Bowl. His sophomore season, the Tigers beat archrival Alabama for the first time in ten years, handing Hall of Fame Coach Bear Bryant the final loss of his career. His junior season, the Tigers claimed the 1983 SEC title, the school’s first conference crown since 1957. Auburn finished ranked No. 14 in 1982, No. 3 in 1983 and No. 14 in 1984 during Carr’s run with the Tigers.
Carr, the 1984 team captain, also excelled in the classroom, boasting a 3.22 GPA in civil engineering. His combined academic and athletic accomplishments earned an NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award and recognition as an Academic All-American and as one the NCAA’s Top Five Student-Athletes.
Drafted in the sixth round (160th overall) of the 1985 NFL Draft by Pittsburgh, Carr played four seasons with the Steelers. He graduated from the University of Alabama-Birmingham School of Medicine in 1994, and he is currently an orthopedic surgeon in Birmingham.
Carr was inducted into the State of Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2010, he was selected as a recipient of the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award as well as being honored as an SEC Legend.
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