Among historically black colleages, South Carolina State may not enjoy the same name recognition in football circles as Grambling, but the school has produced three Pro Football Hall of Famers – Carson, Marion Motley, and Deacon Jones – with a possible fourth, Donnie Shell, under consideration for future induction.
Carson said he had a numerical reputation to uphold when he was given Jones’s old jersey number (75) as a freshman. He lived up to the honor in 1975, when as the defensive leader, SCState set an NCAA record by giving up only 29 points, the fewest ever in one season.
