The official announcement came yesterday at noon. Not long after, the congratulatory calls and e-mails, including one from former University of Virginia football coach Dick Bestwick, began arriving.

"In today's age, information gets disseminated, evidently, at the speed of light," Jim Dombrowski said on a conference call.

Dombrowski, who as a senior in 1985 became U.Va.'s first unanimous All-American, received a greater honor yesterday, when he was one of 13 former players selected for the College Football Hall of Fame's class of 2008. The class also includes two former coaches, John Cooper and Lou Holtz, one of whose many employers was William and Mary (1969-71).

"Quite frankly, I'm humbled by the honor," said Dombrowski, a certified financial planner in the New Orleans area, where he's also a volunteer coach for his older son's high school football team. His daughter, Carter, is finishing her first year at U.Va.

As a boy growing up in Buffalo, N.Y., Dombrowski also played hockey, and that sport was his first love. "I never even thought of getting a college scholarship [for football] until I started getting recruited after my senior year," he said.

A four-year starter at offensive tackle for U.Va., Dombrowski twice won the Jacobs Trophy, given annually to the ACC's top blocker. He spent 11 seasons with the New Orleans Saints and in 2003 was inducted into their hall of fame. His number, 73, has been retired at U.Va.

Dombrowski, who learned Saturday of his selection, and the rest of the class of 2008 will be honored at the National Football Foundation's annual awards dinner Dec. 9 in New York City.

The other former players selected were Troy Aikman (UCLA), Billy Cannon (LSU), Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern), Wilber Marshall (Florida), Rueben Mayes (Washington State), Randall McDaniel (Arizona State), Don McPherson (Syracuse), Jay Novacek (Wyoming), Dave Parks (Texas Tech), Ron Simmons (Florida State), Thurman Thomas (Oklahoma State) and Arnold Tucker (Army).

"It's a pretty good list of names, isn't it?" Dombrowski said. "That's why I'm humbled by it."

Dombrowski will be the fourth player from U.Va. in the College Football Hall of Fame, joining Bill Dudley, Tom Scott and Joe Palumbo. Three former U.Va. coaches are enshrined: Earle "Greasy" Neale, Frank Murray and George Welsh.

In 1981, Bestwick's final season at U.Va., Dombrowski took a medical redshirt. Dombrowski's coach the next four seasons was Welsh, who turned around what had been one of the ACC's worst programs.

"I think George would be the first to admit that Coach Bestwick and his staff gave them some good players they were able to build on," Dombrowski said.