Some of the newest members of the College Football Hall of Fame during one of several events held this past weekend in conjunction with the Hall's annual Enshrinement Ceremony. Photo courtesy National Football Foundation.

Off-the-field social issues surrounding the present state of college football garnered almost as much attention as the gridiron achievements of the star players and coaches enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame during the organization's annual enshrinement ceremony held on July 21 in South Bend, Indiana.

The possiblity of paying stipends to college athletes, the game of musical chairs being played by big-time football conferences, shenanigans by players at prominent sports programs and the recent expose of immorality pervasive at Penn State were among the topics taken on by this past weekend's inductees.

Eddie George, for instance, the 1998 Hesiman Trophy winnner while at Ohio State, bemoaned the Buckeyes' bowl ban in the wake of some players unethically selling football jerseys or exchanging them to get free tattoos.

Wthout excusing those wrongdoings by some of the Ohio State players, George pointed out that since football players are prohibted from holding paying jobs during the school year – something other students are allowed to do to earn spending money – then maybe they should be compensated.

 “I don't know if a stipend would have helped. But I do know that things have got to change as far as how athletes are being compensated. They need to have more money to do more things off the field. There’s definitely a need for kids to get paid more to live a quality of life like a regular student," George was quoted as saying in published reports.

The former All-American running back was just one of many well-known gridiron greats who were honored for their accomplishments between the lines that gained them national fame and often helped their teams on to post-season success.

This is the official list of this year's enshrinement class as provided by the National Football Foundation (NFF) which oversees the College Football Hall of Fame:

COACHES: 

• 

  LLOYD CARR: 122-40-0 (75.3%); Michigan (1995-2007)

• GENE CARPENTER*: 220-96-6 (69.3%); Adams State [Colo.] (1968), Millersville [Pa.] (1970-2000)

• FISHER DeBERRY: 169-109-1 (60.8%); Air Force (1984-2006)

• WILLIAM “LONE STAR” DIETZ* - 96-62-7 (60.3%); Washington State (1915-17), Purdue (1921), Louisiana Tech (1922-23), Wyoming (1924-26), Haskell Indian Institute [Kan.] (1929-32), Albright [Pa.] (1937-42)

• RON HARMS - 218-117-4 (64.9%) Concordia [Neb.] (1962-69), Adams State [Colo.] (1970-73), Texas A&M – Kingsville (1979-99)

PLAYERS 

• CARLOS ALVAREZ - WR, Florida (1969-71)

• CHRIS BISAILLON – WR, Illinois Wesleyan, (1989-92)

• DOUG ENGLISH - DT, Texas (1972-74)

• BILL ENYART - FB, Oregon State (1966-68)

• EDDIE GEORGE - RB, Ohio State (1992-95)

• JIM HOLDER* – RB, Oklahoma Panhandle State (1961-63)

• MARTY LYONS - DT, Alabama (1975-78)

• RUSSELL MARYLAND - DT, Miami, Fla. (1986-90)

• RICHARD McGEORGE – TE, Elon (1966-69)

• REX MIRICH – OT/DG, Northern Arizona (1960-63)

• DEION SANDERS - DB, Florida State (1985-88)

• JAKE SCOTT - DB, Georgia (1967-68)

• WILL SHIELDS - OG, Nebraska (1989-92)

• SANDY STEPHENS* - QB, Minnesota (1959-61)

• DARRYL TALLEY - LB, West Virginia (1979-82)

• CLENDON THOMAS - HB, Oklahoma (1955-57)

• ROB WALDROP - DL, Arizona (1990-93)

• GENE WASHINGTON - WR, Michigan State (1964-66)

* Deceased

Players who were named to a recognized All-America team become eligible 10 years after their final collegiate contest.

This year's enshrinement ceremony, hosted by NFL Network and FOX analyst Charles Davis, featured filmed highlights taken during each inductees college career followed by a short word of thanks by each of the men. While no one mentioned anything controversial during an acceptance speech, some of the honorees offered opinions on the world of college football, circa 2012.

The big news, of course, involved the ongoing debacle at Penn State, still suffering in the aftermath of a report alleging that former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky molested young boys insidethe college's football facility and -- perhaps even more vexing --that when they learned of this, head coach Joe Paterno and other school administrators did hardly anything to stop the incidents, fearing, some say, that exposure would be hurtful to the Nittany Lions' football program.

Former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, who matched wits with Paterno on the field, said it was a sad day for all involved, included his recently deceased colleague.

"It's really a hard issue for people who knew him," said Carr in published reports. "Nobody, nobody defends what happened to those kids,...and the jury spoke to that. But you know the environment is such that a lot of people find [it] very difficult to say anything positive (about JoePa). That was not the Joe Paterno I knew," said Carr who led the Wolverines to five Big Ten titles in his 13-year tenure capped by a national championship in 1997.

Unlike his statue on the Penn State campus, Paterno's spot in the College Football Hall of Fame will not be removed, according to NFF president and CEO Steve Hatchell who said the foundation was not holding disscussions concerning the Penn State scandal. But Hatchell did admit that NFF members were "incredibly disappointed" and "hurt with a capital H" by the "troubling" allegations of the unchecked incidents of child sex abuse under Paterno's watch He said he could "understand some other things" but finds it hard to come to grips with an abhorrent practice that many in the world of college football simply cannot fathom.

For short bios about each of the enshrinees and more information about what the College Football Hall of Fame has to offer to visitors, visit http://www.footballfoundation.org/

Tags: College Football Hall of Fame, Eddie George, Jerry Sandusky, Joe Paterno, Lloyd Carr, National Football Foundation, Penn State, South Bend, Steve Hatchell