Matt Leinart, who led USC to two consecutive national championships and the brink of a third, was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame on Monday.
Leinart, the former Mater Dei High star and 2004 Heisman Trophy winner, propelled the Trojans to a 34-game winning streak that ended in his final college game: a loss in the BCS title game at the Rose Bowl to Texas.
Leinart will be joined in the College Football Hall of Fame class by Tennessee’s Peyton Manning, longtime coach Steve Spurrier, San Diego State’s Marshall Faulk, New Mexico’s Brian Urlacher and more, including Michigan State’s Kirk Gibson, the former Dodgers hero.