Leslie Frazier Announced to BCF Hall of Fame

Football | 12/8/2022 12:27:00 PM

ATLANTA – It was announced Thursday, Dec. 8, that former Alcorn State Football student-athlete Leslie Frazier is to be inducted into the 14th Class of the Black College Football Hall of Fame in June 2023. Eight inductees were selected from a list of 25 finalists who had been determined earlier by the Black College Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee.
 
The Black College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 includes the following: Leslie Frazier (Alcorn State University), Henry "Killer" Lawrence (Florida A&M University), Albert Lewis (Grambling State University), Jim Marsalis (Tennessee State University), Tyrone McGriff (Florida A&M University), Elijah Pitts (Philander Smith College), Johnnie Walton (Elizabeth City State University), and Coach Pete Richardson (Southern University, Winston Salem State University).
 
"This Class is another representation of the immense football talent that has played at historically black colleges and universities," said BCFHOF Co-Founder and 2011 Inductee Doug Williams. "Several of these players were college All-Americans, high NFL draft picks and Pro Bowlers."
 
Frazier, a native of Columbus, Mississippi, arrived at Alcorn from Stephen D. Lee High School, where he earned varsity letters in the sports of football, basketball and baseball, respectively. He would go on to become one of the most successful defensive backs in Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) history, playing for the Braves from 1978-80.
 
Frazier earned recognition in 1978, being tabbed an honorable mention performer for the All-SWAC Team. He intercepted six passes and recorded 62 tackles for the Braves defense that posted a 5-4-1 record that season.
 
In 1979, Frazier's game elevated to another level while intercepting nine passes and recording 26 pass deflections to lead a Braves defense who gave up 108.7 yards in the air and held its opponents to just 10.7 points per game. He also recorded 44 tackles to go along with two fumble recoveries. He would go on to achieve First Team All-SWAC Defensive honors for his performance, and helped the Braves capture the 1979 SWAC title in the process.

In his final season in Lorman in 1980, Frazier led the Braves in interceptions with a total of five and recorded 49 tackles. He also returned 14 punt returns and took one back for a touchdown. He was named to the All-SWAC Second Team Defense and the NAIA All-District Team. He participated in the SBN All-Star football game in 1980.

At one time, Frazier was ranked sixth all-time in the SWAC in career interceptions (20) and tied for the most in school history in a single season when he intercepted nine passes in 1979.  He is still tied for second all-time at Alcorn for career interceptions, while continuing to sit atop the all-time school list for interceptions in a single season (9). He has the most return yards in a single season for interceptions with 157, tied alongside Tyrone Parsons (2004).
 
Frazier was named All-SWAC and All-American as a defensive back and in baseball for the Braves. He earned a degree in business administration before joining the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) as an undrafted rookie free agent in 1981.
 
Additionally, he was voted No. 16 on a list of the 50 greatest football players in Alcorn history in 2014.
 
Frazier was inducted into the SWAC Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Alcorn State Hall of Fame in 2012.
 
Votes were tallied from the 11-member Selection Committee, comprised of prominent journalists, commentators, and historians, as well as former NFL General Managers and executives, and from members of the BCFHOF to determine the Inductees.
 
The Class of 2023 will be honored at the 14th Annual Black College Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Presented by the Atlanta Falcons on June 10, 2023. The Induction Ceremony takes place at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
 
They will also be recognized at halftime of the Second Annual HBCU Legacy Bowl on February 25, 2023 at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana, which will be broadcast live on NFL Network (3 p.m. CT).
 
For more information, please visit www.BlackCollegeFootballHOF.org.
 
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