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• The class elected by the Board of Selectors for induction in 2007 into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is announced as comprising six former National Football League (NFL) players.
  • Offensive guard Gene Hickerson, having across his fifteen seasons with the Cleveland Browns earned selection six times, betwixt 1965 and 1970 inclusive, to the Pro Bowl, been named to the NFL's 1960s All-Decade Team, been a member of an offensive line unit to have blocked for three running backs ultimately selected to the Hall—Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell, and Leroy Kelly—and having helped the Browns to the 1964 NFL championship and four NFL Eastern Conference titles, is elected as a senior nominee.
  • Wide receiver Michael Irvin, a first-round selection from the University of Miami by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1988 draft, having over his twelve seasons made 750 receptions for 11,904 yards, more than any player in league history save thirteen, and 65 touchdowns, having earned selection to the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team and to the Pro Bowl for the National Football Conference five times, and having won three Super Bowl rings, each with quarterback Troy Aikman and running back Emmitt Smith, inductees alongside Irvin into the Cowboys Ring of Honor in 2005, is elected in his third year of eligibility.
  • Bruce Matthews, having over twenty seasons with the Houston Oilers franchise contested at least seventeen games at each of the five offensive line positions and having ultimately started 292 and played in 296 games—more than any positional player save Jerry Rice—including 229 consecutively—more than any other positional player, having been selected to the Pro Bowl for the American Football Conference fourteen times—nine as an offensive guard and five as a center—consecutively and been named an All-Pro nine times, and having been honored as a member of the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team, is elected in his first year of eligibility to become the first Tennessee Titan to earn enshirnement into the Hall.
  • Tight end Charlie Sanders, having over his ten seasons with the Detroit Lions made 336 receptions for 4817 yards and 31 touchdowns, been selected seven times, including between 1968 and 1971 inclusive to the Pro Bowl, and been selected to the NFL's 1970s All-Decade Team, is elected, as Hickerson, as a senior nominee.
  • Running back Thurman Thomas, having across his twelve seasons with the Buffalo Bills and one season with the Miami Dolphins gained 12,074 yards and scored 65 touchdowns on 2877 rushes and 4458 yards and 23 touchdowns on 472 receptions to place thirteenth on the enumeration of NFLers by career all-purpose yardage achieved and twelfth on the enumeration of NFLers by career rushing yardage achieved; having led the American Football Conference in rushing yardage in 1990, 1991, and 1993; having earned selection to the Pro Bowl five times and to the NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team; having been honored in 1991 as the NFL Most Valuable Player by the Associated Press (AP) and the Pro Football Writers Association of America and as the Offensive Player of the Year by the AP and the United Press International; having scored at least once in each of Super Bowls XXV, XXVI, XXVII, and XXVIII after having helped his team to four consecutive American Football Conference championships; and having in view of his performance with the Bills franchise been inducted into its Wall of Fame and had his jersey number retired, is elected after having in his first year of eligibility in 2006 advanced to the final round of ten.
  • Cornerback and safety Roger Wehrli, a first-round selection from the University of Missouri by the Saint Louis Cardinals in the 1969 draft, having been seven times selected to the Pro Bowl seven times, been honored as a member of the NFL's 1970 All-Decade Team, recorded forty interceptions–and two touchdows on returns thereof–as many as just fifty-seven other players, and twenty-two fumble recoveries, and been enshrined in 2003 in the College Football Hall of Fame, is elected after having in 2005 advanced in voting to the final round of ten but having not so advanced in 2006.
• The 2006 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) regular season and the bowl games played subsequent thereto conclude and the awards for play in the former are presented.
  • The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award, presented to the most outstanding collegiate football player, devolves on Ohio State University Buckeyes quarterback Troy Smith—one week thither the winner of the Walter Camp and Davey O'Brien Awards and of selection as a unanimous consensus All-America and the seventh-ever Ohio State winner—who outpoints, in the Borda count voting system employed for the award, by outpointing by 1662 Doak Walker Award-winning University of Arkansas Razorbacks running back Darren McFadden and by 1758 University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Brady Quinn, who garners the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm and Maxwell Awards. Amongst the twenty-six individual awards conferred are two for best defensive player—the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award, which are captured respectively by Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis and Pennsylvania State University Nittany Lions linebacker Paul Posluszny, in front of each of whom Patrick Willis of the University of Mississippi Rebels garners the Dick Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker—and four for best head coach, of which two, the Walter Camp Coach of the Year and The Home Depot Coach of the Year Awards, are claimed by Greg Schiano of the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights. Smith is equalled as a unanimous All-America by West Virginia University Mountaineers running back Steve Slaton, Clemson University Tigers defensive tackle Gaines Adams, and five players—Georgia Institute of Technology Yellow Jackets wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who wins the Fred Biletnikoff Award; University of Wisconsin Badgers offensive tackle Joe Thomas, who wins the Outland Trophy; Mountaineers center Dan Mozes, who wins the Dave Rimington Trophy; University of Michigan Wolverines defensive end LaMarr Woodley, who wins the Lombardi and Ted Hendricks Awards and claims Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors ahead of Laurinaitis and Posluszny; and Baylor University Bears punter Daniel Sepulveda, who, having captured the award in 2004, becomes the first multiple winner of the Ray Guy Award—who, as Smith, earn end-of-season awards.
• The 2006 regular season of the National Football League (NFL), the first season contested during the commissionership of Roger Goodell, the first featuring a flexible scheduling system for games to be selected for play on NBC Sunday Night Football, and the first featuring the Run to the Playoffs, a series of live game telecasts on NFL Network, the league's specialty cable channel.
  • For the third time in his career, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning leads the league in passing touchdowns completed, having made 31 against just nine interceptions, and finishes the year also as the leader in passer rating, having, in view of his having completed 362 of 557 passes attempted for 4397 yards, posted a mark of 101.0; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, having completed 356 of his 554 passes attempted, totals 4418 passing yards to outpace Manning by 21 yards and Saint Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger by 103 to be the league's leading passer. San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson, having over the season displaced Shaun Alexander—in 2005 with the Seattle Seahawks a scorer of 28 touchdowns—atop the enumeration of players by touchdowns scored in a single season, Priest Holmes—in 2003 with the Kansas City Chiefs a scorer of 26 rushing touchdowns—atop the enumeration of players by rushing touchdowns scored in a single season, and Paul Hornung—in 1960 as a placekicker and halfback with the Green Bay Packers a scorer of 176 points, comprising thirteen rushing and two receiving touchdowns, fifteen field goals, and forty-one points after touchdown, across a twelve-game season—atop the enumeration of NFL players by single-season points scored, ultimately finishes his season having scored 31 touchdowns–twenty-eight rushing and three receiving–and two two-point conversions for 190 points to lead the NFL in each category and having rushed for 1815 yards on 348 carries to become the seventh different player to claim the league rushing title since 2000. Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson catches 103 passes to finish five clear of Detroit Lions wide receiver Mike Furrey, theretofore principally a defensive back, and eight clear of Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison, betwixt 1999 and 2002 twice the league's leading pass catcher, to finish atop the NFL in total receptions, but tallies just 1147 yards and five touchdowns; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson accumulates 1369 yards on 87 receptions to finish three yards clear of Harrison, of whom Detroit Lions wide receiver Roy Williams and Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne finish 56 yards adrift, for the league lead in the former statistic, whilst Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Terrell Owens records 13 touchdowns amongst his 85 receptions to lead the league, as in 2001 and 2002, in the latter category, having finished one touchdown clear of Harrison. New England Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel and Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey finish the season having each totalled ten interceptions, the former across but 15 games, to finish atop the league in interceptions made and Samuels defenses 24 passes to finish two ahead of ahead of Dallas Cowboys cornerback Anthony Henry and Baltimore Ravens cornerback Chris McAlister and three ahead of Bailey for the league lead in the latter metric. Despite having been suspensed for four games for contravention of the NFL's substance abuse policy upon his testing positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone, San Diego Chargers outside linebacker Shawne Merriman finishes the season having registered 17 quarterback sacks, one-and-one-half more than league runner-up Green Bay Packers defensive end Aaron Kampman and three more than Buffalo Bills defensive end Aaron Schobel, in 2005 the league's fifth-leading sacker, as Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Simeon Rice fails to finish amongst the league's top seven for the first time since the 2000 season. Placekickers Robbie Gould (Chicago Bears) and Jeff Wilkins (Saint Louis Rams) finish the season having each successfully kicked 32 field goals, three more than Jason Hanson (Detroit Lions) and Joe Nedney (San Francisco 49ers), and Gould converts 47 points after touchdown to finish the season having scored 143 points, more than any player save Tomlinson, seven more than Chargers placekicker Nate Kaeding and twelve more than Wilkins. Denver Broncos placekicker Paul Ernster posts a kickoff average of 67.9 yards to finish .5 yards clear of Arizona Cardinals placekicker Neil Rackers as the longest kickoff kicker, whilst Dallas Cowboys punter Mat McBriar finishes atop the league in gross punting, having stricken 56 punts with an average of 48.2 yards and with 10 touchbacks. Tennessee Titans cornerback Pacman Jones averages 12.9 yards per punt return and scores three punt return touchdowns to lead the league in either category, the latter jointly with Chicago Bears cornerback Devin Hester, whilst New York Jets cornerback Justin Miller aggregates 1304 yards on his 46 kick returns to record a league-leading 28.3-yard average; Miller scores two return touchdows to finish in equal first with Hester, who averages 26.4 yards per return, better than any player save Miller and Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew.
  • Tomlinson earns the Most Valuable Player Award, capturing 44 of 50 votes cast under the single plurality system employed by the Associated Press, to outpoint Brees (four votes) and Manning (two); he also claims the Offensive Player of the Year Award, that with 38 votes, ahead of Brees (eight), Manning (three), and Saint Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson, who finishes the season having gained 1528 yards and 13 touchdowns over 346 rushes and 806 yards and three touchdowns over 90 receptions. Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, who across the season records 13.5 sacks and 60 tackles, makes two interceptions, forces ten fumbles and recovers two, and defenses ten passes, wins Defensive Player of the Award honors, garnering 22 of 50 ballots cast; Bailey, who supplements his ten interceptions with 73 tackles and 11 other passes defensed, finishes six votes adrift, ten votes ahead of Merriman, who over his twelve games records 62 tackles, intercepts one pass, and defenses eight. Chicago Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher, who finishes the season having made 141 tackles and having intercepted three and defensed six other passes, earns four votes in his attempted defense of the 2005 award, whilst Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker Ray Lewis—the 2000 and 2003 winner—and defensive lineman Trevor Pryce earn each one vote. Vince Young, by the Tennessee Titans the third overall selection in the 2006 NFL draft, becomes just the third quarterback to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, earning, in view of his completing 184 of 357 passes attempted for 2199 yards and 12 touchdowns, gaining 552 yards and seven touchdowns on 83 carries, and helping his side to a six-game winning streak through the season's penultimate week, 23 votes to outpace by 12 Jones-Drew and Saints wide receiver Marques Colston, whilst Houston Texans middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans, a second-round draft choice, who completes the season having made 156 tackles—including 123 solo, more than any other player—having posted 3.5 quarterback sacks, having defensed eight passes, having forced one fumble, and having made one interception, wins the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, garnering 36 votes to finish well clear of University of Alabama Crimson Tide teammate Chicago Bears defensive end Mark Anderson (five votes) and Green Bay Packers outside linebacker A.J. Hawk (four). Saints head coach Sean Payton, having in his first year helped the Saints, winners of just three games in 2005, to a 10-6 record and the National Football Conference (NFC) South division titlist, is selected on 44 ballots to be chosen Coach of the Year; Jets head coach Eric Mangini, as Payton in his first season, finishes second with three votes.
  • Having notched 492 points over the season, the Chargers, by virtue of the side's winning 14 games the champion of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division and the top-seeded team in the league playoffs, finish as the league's highest-scoring team, whilst the Ravens, winners of thirteen games—second-best in the NFL—and, as champion of the AFC North division possessors, as the Chargers, of a first-round bye, concede only 201 points and 4225 yards to rank as the league's best-performing defense. The Saints, which team finish the regular season as the NFC's second-seeded side, behind running backs Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush and wide receivers Colston and Devery Henderson, who each record at least 565 yards, gain more total yards–6264–than any other team and accumulate 205 passing yards more than Colts to lead the league in the latter category; the Atlanta Falcons, having finished last in the league in passing yards, on the strength of running back Warrick Dunn and quarterback Michael Vick, who total 2179 yards over 409 rushes, lead the league in rushing. The Colts and New England Patriots win respectively the AFC South and East divisions for the fourth consecutive season, winning 12 games each to earn the third and fourth AFC playoff berths, and the Jets—winners in 2005 of only four games but in 2006 of ten—and Chiefs—winners, as the Broncos, of nine games, one more than Super Bowl XL victor the Pittsburgh Steelers, but possessors of a superior West division record—claim wild card playoff positions. In the NFC, the Bears, having won thirteen games, capture the NFC North division and finish as the conference's first seed, and the Seahawks, the defending conference champion, lead the NFC West division for the third straight season; the East division, the Philadelphia Eagles, Cowboys, and New York Giants of which win respectively ten, nine, and eight games, places three teams, seeded respectively third, fifth, and sixth, in the playoffs for first time since 1992.
• Atlanta Falcons placekicker Morten Andersen, having ostensibly retired from professional play in 2004 but having returned to the National Football League (NFL) prior to the third week of its 2006 season after having served as a television analyst for NFL Europe games, successfully converts a point after touchdown try in the second quarter of a game between his team and the Dallas Cowboys played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta in the eponymous state to raise to 2,435 his career NFL points tally; he ascends to the top of the list of players by career points scored, surpassing Gary Anderson, as Andersen a member of the league's 1980s and 1990s All-Decade Teams, with whom Andersen continues to share first place on the list of players by career field goals made.
• The single-elimination tournaments contested to decide the 2006 champions of the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA), Division II, and Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics conclude.
  • Having entered the Football Championship Subdivision tournament seeded first, the defending champion Appalachian State University Mountaineers outscore the Coastal Carolina University Canticleers and the 1984 champion Montana State University Bobcats, 83-45, across the championship's first two rounds to reach a home semifinal in which they overcome fourth-seeded four-time national champion Youngstown State University Penguins to earn, having conceded just one game over the regular season and playoffs, a berth in the title game, in which, at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the side, behind running back Kevin Richardson, who rushes for 179 yards and four touchdowns, and placekicker Julian Rauch, who converts four extra points, defeat the University of Massachusetts Amherst Minutemen, 28-17, to become just the fourth team to earn consecutive national championships. The Minutemen, seeded third, having in the first and second rounds respectively dispatched the Lafayette College Leopards and University of New Hampshire Wildcats and having advanced to the title game upon their defeating, 19-17, the second-seeded University of Montana-Missoula Grizzlies, twice a national champion and thrice a runner-up, at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, are led in defeat by running back Steve Baylark, who with his 24 carries and three receptionss achieves 157 yards, and wide receiver Brad Listorti, amongst whose five receptions is a 17-yard touchdown.
  • Three-time Division II national champion the Grand Valley State University Lakers, having earned a quarterfinal win over the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux—in 2001 by three points the champion over the Lakers—and having dispatched 2000 champion the Delta State University Statesmen, a quarterfinal victor over Southeast regional top-seed and theretofore undefeated North Carolina Central University Eagles, 49-30, to reach, as the top seed in the Northwest region and with a 14-0 record, the national championship game alongside, as in the 2005 final, captured by Grand Valley State, 21-17, the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats, quarterfinal winners over the theretofore undefeated Chadron State College Eagles—as champion of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference the Southwest region's second seed and a 43-17 second round victor over Lone Star Conference champion the West Texas A&M University Buffaloes—in a game in which the team permit Harlon Hill Trophy-winning running back Danny Woodhead just sixteen rushing yards, and semifinal winners over the Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Huskies; on the strength of a fourth-quarter four-yard touchdown run by quarterback Cullen Finnerty, who ultimately accumulates 115 rushing yards on 23 carries and 225 passing yards on 33 attempts, the Lakers, at Braly Municipal Stadium in Florence, Alabama, outpoint the Bearcats, 17-14, to claim the side's fourth national title since 2002 and to make Finnerty, after Jeff Bentrim (Fighting Sioux) and Cody Gross (University of North Alabama Lions), just the third Division II quarterback to earn three championships. The Bearcats are led in defeat by running back Xavier Omon, amongst whose 26 rushes is a seven-yard touchdown that advantages his side by four, and wide receiver Kendall Wright, who makes eight receptions for 85 yards and completes a 26-yard touchdown pass to Raphael Robinson.
  • For the tenth time since the 1993 season, the Mount Union College Purple Raiders, eight times a national champion, reach the Division III tournament final, this upon the team's having won games across the first and second rounds by a combined tally of 84-3 before having in a quarterfinal, as in 2005, overcome the Capital University Crusaders, ranked fifth in the country and a loser over twelve games of but one, that in Ohio Athletic Conference play to the Purple Raiders, the former 17-14, and having thereafter outpointed the Saint John Fisher College Cardinals, 26-14, in which the side are joined by the similarly undefeated University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks, behind the Purple Raiders the 2005 national runner-up, who reach the Stagg Bowl with a 17-14 quarterfinal victory over the Saint John's University Johnnies—in 2003 the national titlists over Mount Union—and a 44-7 semifinal victory over the Wesley College Wolverines—which team enter the semifinal having not lost a game across the regular season; behind quarterback Greg Micheli, who in view of his completing 18 of 22 passes attempted for 202 yards and three touchdowns—two to wide receiver Pierre Garcon—his rushing nine times for 42 yards and one touchdown, and his serving as his side's punter, is named game most outstanding player, Mount Union outscore Whitewater over the game's final half, 21-3, to claim the national championship, 35-16, at Salem Football Stadium in Salem, Virginia. Whitewater, in the squad's final game under retiring head coach Bob Berezowitz, are led in defeat by placekicker Jeff Schebler, who converts each of his three field goal tries and one extra point and posts a kickoff average of 52.8 yards, and running back Jeff Beaver, who gains 94 yards on 23 carries.
  • The University of Saint Francis Cougars, having lost the 2004 and 2005 NAIA national championship finals to four-time national titlist the Carroll College Fighting Saints, enter the 2006 tournament undefeated and seeded first and dispatch the eighth-seeded Bethel College Wildcats in a quarterfinal tie to advance to the semifinal level, in which the side defeat, 49-20, the Saint Xavier University Cougars—one round thither victors over defending champion Carroll, betwixt 2002 and 2005 the loser of just four of fifty-seven games played—to achieve a third consecutive finals appearance but fall in the national title game once more, this 23-19 to the finally undefeated University of Sioux Falls Cougars—victor in 1996 of the NAIA Division II championship and NAIA runner-up to the Georgetown College Tigers in 2001—which team, seeded second, displace thirteen-seed the Morningside College Mustangs, a first-round winner in double overtime over third-seed Saint Ambrose University Fighting Bees, and complete a seven-point semifinal victory over the Missouri Valley College Vikings to reach the title tie. Sioux Falls are paced in the championship final by quarterback Chad Cavender, who completes 15 of 21 passes attempted for 155 yards and one touchdown to earn game offensive most valuable player honors, and kick returner Trey Erickson, who records an 89-yard touchdown to draw his Cougars even with Saint Francis, 13-13, in the first first quarter, whilst Saint Francis are led by running backs Daniel Carter and Doug Wasylk, who combine to tally 160 yards over twenty rushes and six receptions, and defensive end Tim Farrell, who earns game defensive most valuable player honors in view of his making three tackles, one quarterback sack, and one interception and returning the latter 46 yards.

For other recent American football news, see current sports events, 2006 in sports, and the Wikinews American football portal.