Former Tar Heel and Redskin Hanburger elected to football hall of fame

As we told you back in August, former UNC and Washington Redskins great Chris Hanburger was up for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This past weekend, he was indeed elected to the Hall.

Induction ceremonies are Aug. 6 in Canton, Ohio. Hanburger, now 69 years old, was a center and middle linebacker for the Tar Heels from 1962-1964 and was twice named All-ACC.

The 6-foot-2, 218-pound linebacker played 14 years for the Washington Redskins, appearing in 187 games. He was selected first-team All-NFL four times in five-season span in the mid-1970s. He was voted to nine Pro Bowls.

No. 55 was honored in 2002 as one of the 70 greatest Washington Redskins players of all time. On Sunday, he was introduced at the Super Bowl.

Interestingly, Hanburger, who majored in history, now spends much of his time reading books about American history and says he doesn't keep up with pro football much because it just doesn't interest him. Still, he was excited to get the call.

"It's wonderful," Hanburger said in a conference call. "I am just overwhelmed. It's just a tremendous honor to have been nominated, much less get in. ... It's just a select group that make it."