Hall of Fame Eligibility, Screening & Procedure

Eligibility & Criteria

To be eligible for the Hall of Fame players must have been named a First Team All-America by a major/national selector as recognized and utilized by the NCAA for their consensus All-America teams; played their last year of intercollegiate football at least ten years prior; played within the last 50 years and cannot be currently playing professional football. Coaches must have coached a minimum of 10 years and 100 games as a head coach; won at least 60% of their games; and be retired from coaching for at least three years. If a coach is retired and over the age of 70, there is no waiting period. If he is over the age of 75, he is eligible as an active coach. In both cases, the candidate's post-football record as a citizen may also be weighed.

Once nominated for consideration, all player candidates are submitted to one of eight District Screening Committees, depending on their school's geographic location, which conducts a vote to determine who will appear on the ballot and represent their respective districts. Each year, approximately 15 candidates, who are not selected for the Hall of Fame, will be named automatic holdovers and will bypass the district screening process and automatically appear on the ballot the following year. Additionally, the Veterans Committee (formerly known as the Honors Review Committee) may make recommendations to Honors Court for exceptions that allow for the induction of players who played more than 50 years ago and coaches who have not won at least 60 percent of their games.

Of the 4.72 million individuals who have played college football, only 866 players have earned induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. From the coaching ranks, 186 individuals have achieved Hall of Fame distinction.

Procedure Guide

1. Nominations may be made by any dues-paying member of the National Football Foundation, or by athletic directors, coaches, or CoSIDA members representing dues-paying colleges or universities.
2. Statistics and records, personal recommendations by coaches, fellow players, and opponents are all considered.
3. The National Football Foundation staff will screen each candidate. After ascertaining that nominations satisfy the requirements, the nominees are submitted to the District Screening Committee (DSC) nearest to which the nominee played. New nominees as well as individuals who appeared on the previous year's ballot will be included in this process.
4. The top vote getters 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 decided upon by the Honors Court).
5. 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.
6. The ballot selection is approved by the Awards Committee of The National Football Foundation.
7. The ballot of players and coaches is mailed to all dues-paying members for a member vote, of which results are provided to the Honors Court as part of the information for its meeting. The Honors Court selects the Class.

Criteria

1. FIRST AND FOREMOST, A PLAYER MUST HAVE RECEIVED MAJOR FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICA RECOGNITION.
2. A player becomes eligible for consideration by the Foundation's Honors Court 10 years after his last year of intercollegiate football played.
3. While each nominee's football achievements 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 and his fellow man with love of his country. Consideration may also be given for academic honors and whether or not the candidate earned a college degree.
4. In accordance with 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 2005 ballot, the player must have played his last year in 1955 or thereafter. In addition, players who are playing professionally and coaches who are coaching on the professional level are not eligible until after they retire.
5. A coach becomes eligible three years after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he is at least 70 years of age. 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*.

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