Oct 4, 2022 3 min read

California University and the the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame will jointly honor 2022 Hall of Fame electee coach John Luckhardt Saturday during the Vulcans’ home football game against IUP.

The game will kick off at noon.

“This is a tremendous career accomplishment for Coach Luckhardt and we are excited for him and his family,” said Cal athletic director Dr. Karen Hjerpe. “The impact he had on our football program, and entire athletic department, cannot be understated. In addition to all the victories, Coach Luckhardt was a true developer of young men throughout his entire coaching career.”

During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each electee returns to his respective school to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution.

The 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Dec. 6 at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

“Coach John Luckhardt was a major presence in Western Pennsylvania football, and he remains Cal’s all-time winningest head coach,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “We are thrilled to honor him at Adamson Stadium.”

Coach Luckhardt turned two programs into perennial national contenders, winning an astounding 76.1 percent of his games at Washington & Jefferson College and California.

Luckhardt coached Cal from 2002-11. His tenure with the Vulcans witnessed the best 10-year stint in school history, and he exited as the school’s all-time winningest coach with an 88-33 record. He led Cal to the NCAA Division II semifinals in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

The 2008 season marked the program’s first PSAC championship since 1984. Two more playoff appearances in his final two years at Cal gave Luckhardt five consecutive seasons of double-digit victories, five NCAA Division II playoff appearances and seven consecutive PSAC West titles.

At W&J, Luckhardt inherited a team in 1982 that had only four winning campaigns in the previous 17 seasons. By 1984, Luckhardt had turned the Presidents into a 9-2 team, winning the Presidents’ Athletic Conference and earning the school’s first trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs.

The program never looked back, amassing winning records every season under his watch, culminating in 1998 with a 137-37-2 record during his 17-year tenure.

Under Luckhardt, W&J won 13 PAC championships and made 11 appearances in the NCAA playoffs, including two trips to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl (1992 and 1994). In 1992, he was named the AFCA National Coach of the Year.

Overall, Luckhardt’s teams appeared in 16 NCAA playoffs during his 27-year coaching career.

Luckhardt becomes the first ever College Football Hall of Fame inductee from Cal.