A former Spartans quarterback is one of five former athletes who will be inducted to the Michigan State Hall of Fame later this year.

Jimmy Raye, who was a vital member of Michigan State’s 1965 and 1966 national championship teams, is a member of the five-person class who will be honored in late September. The announcement came from Michigan State on Tuesday.

Raye was also the first African-American quarterback from the South to win a national championship as a starting quarterback.

Michigan State had an official statement on Raye, as well as the five other members of the Hall of Fame class.

There’s no doubt that Jimmy Raye was an outstanding football player, leading the Spartans to the 1966 National Championship as the starting quarterback, and being a key member of the 1965 national championship team. But Raye’s impact goes far beyond his stats. As the first African-American starting quarterback from the South to win a National Championship, Raye was part of a groundbreaking football integration movement that changed college football forever. His teammates talk about the way his leadership embodied the togetherness that existed on those championship teams. Raye’s induction shows that the power student-athletes have extends far beyond the field of play.

As a junior, Raye threw for 1,110 yards and 10 touchdowns as Michigan State went on to win a B1G and national title. He also rushed for 436 yards and five touchdowns that season.

All five members of the Hall of Fame class will be inducted on Thursday, Sept. 27. They will all be honored at the Spartans home game against Central Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 29.