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College Football Hall Of Fame

Coach Lloyd Carr receives his Hall of Fame plaque at the 2011 NFF Annual Awards Dinner.

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2012 FBS Hall of Fame Class
2012 Divisional Hall of Fame Class



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The National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame represents the highest level of achievement for players and coaches and serves as a shrine for all of amateur football. Through exhibits, programs and events, the Hall gives visitors a vivid look into the rich tradition, pageantry and excitement of the game. The 58,000-square-foot facility is regarded as one of the most exciting and interactive museums in the world.

See below for Hall of Fame criteria. For more information on nominating for the College Football Hall of Fame, please contact Hillary Jeffries. 


Hall of Fame Criteria:
  1. FIRST AND FOREMOST, A PLAYER MUST HAVE RECEIVED FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICA RECOGNITION BY A SELECTOR RECOGNIZED BY THE NCAA AND UTILIZED TO COMPRISE THEIR CONSENSUS ALL-AMERICA TEAMS.
  2. A player becomes eligible for consideration by the NFF's Honors Court ten years after his last year of intercollegiate football played.
  3. While each nominee's football achievements in college are of prime consideration, his post-football record as a citizen is also weighed. He must have proven himself worthy as a citizen, carrying the ideals of football forward into his relations with his community. Consideration may also be given for academic honors and whether or not the candidate earned a college degree.
  4. In accordance to the 50-year rule*, players must have played their last year of intercollegiate football within the last 50 years. For example, to be eligible for the 2013 ballot, the player must have played his last year in 1961 or thereafter. In addition, current professional players and / or coaches are not eligible until retirement.
  5. A coach becomes eligible three years after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he is at least 70 years old. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He must have been a head coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage*.


Voting Procedure:
  1. NOMINATIONS MAY BE MADE ONLY BY A DUES-PAYING MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION OR BY ATHLETICS DIRECTORS, COACHES OR CoSIDA MEMBERS REPRESENTING DUES-PAYING COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES.
  2. Statistics, newspaper/magazine clippings, records and personal recommendations by coaches, fellow players and opponents are all considered.
  3. The National Football Foundation staff will screen each candidate. After ascertaining that the nomination satisfies all requirements, the nominee is submitted to the District Screening Committee (DSC) nearest to the institution where the nominee played. New nominees as well as individuals who appeared on the previous year's ballot will be included in this process.
  4. Only the top vote-getters (approx. 60 players) from the DSC are forwarded to The National Football Foundation staff for inclusion on the ballot. The ballot also carries names of candidates held over from the previous year. These carryover names are referred to as "automatic holdovers" and are decided upon by the Honors Court. Thus, please keep in mind that even though your player is nominated, his name WILL NOT appear on the national ballot if he does not first pass through the DSC.
  5. The ballot of players and coaches is mailed to all dues-paying members of The National Football Foundation for a member vote. The results are compiled and provided to the Honors Court, which determines the final class members, to be used as a reference.
  6. Any candidate not selected to the current year's Hall of Fame class will automatically go through the voting procedures again the following year. There is no need to nominate the candidate again.

* Those players that do not comply with the 50-year rule may still be eligible for consideration by the FBS and Divisional Veterans Committees, which examine unique cases.

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