American sports hall of fame
The Black College Football Hall of Fame (BCFHOF )[1] is an American hall of fame for college football players, coaches and contributors from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). It was founded in 2009 in Atlanta , centrally located to many of the country's black universities.[2] Its museum is located within the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio .[3] Players are eligible for induction if they played at least two seasons at an HBCU and finished their college career at an HBCU. They can be nominated five years after their last college season. Any current or former head coach of an HBCU is eligible. Anyone can be nominated as a contributor.[4]
History [ edit ] The BCFHOF was co-founded by James Harris and Doug Williams , former quarterbacks who both played football at the historically black university Grambling State University before playing professionally.[5] [6] [7] As a rookie with the Buffalo Bills in 1969, Harris become the first black quarterback to be the starter in a season opener in either the American Football League or the National Football League (NFL). Williams was the first black quarterback to play in a Super Bowl , starting for the Washington Redskins and winning Super Bowl XXII while being named the Super Bowl MVP .[6]
At its inception in 2009, the BCFHOF did not have a building.[2] Its induction ceremonies and educational programs were held at various hotels in Atlanta.[8] In 2016, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that it was providing a permanent home for the BCFHOF.[9] The exhibit officially opened in 2019, held on the same weekend as the inaugural Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.[1] [8] [10] The BCFHOF continues to run independently with its board of directors and choosing its inductees.[11]
In 2021, the BCFHOF partnered with the NFL, Pro Football Hall of Fame and Tulane University to establish the HBCU Legacy Bowl , a postseason all-star game for NFL Draft -eligible players from HBCUs.[12] [13]
Inductees [ edit ] Mel Blount Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson Deacon Jones Larry Little Steve McNair Walter Payton Jerry Rice Shannon Sharpe John Stallworth Doug Williams Inductee Class Position College(s) Years Buck Buchanan ** 2010 OT , DE Grambling State 1959–1962 Jake Gaither § HC Florida A&M 1945–1969 Willie Galimore § HB 1953–1956 Deacon Jones † DE South Carolina State , Mississippi Valley State 1958, 1960 Willie Lanier ** LB , G Morgan State 1963–1966 Bill Nunn † Contributor N/A Walter Payton ** RB Jackson State 1971–1974 Jerry Rice ** WR Mississippi Valley State 1981–1984 Eddie Robinson § HC Grambling State 1941–1997 Ben Stevenson § HB Tuskegee 1923–1930 Paul "Tank" Younger § HB , LB Grambling State 1945–1948 Earl Banks § 2011 HC Morgan State 1960–1973 Lem Barney † CB Jackson State 1963–1966 Mel Blount † CB , S Southern 1966–1969 Rosey Brown † OT Morgan State 1949–1952 Willie Davis † OT , DE Grambling State 1952–1955 Bob Hayes † SE Florida A&M 1962–1965 Willie Jeffries § [a] HC South Carolina State , Howard [a] 1973–1978; 1989–2001, 1984–1988[a] Joe Kendall § HB Kentucky State 1933–1936 Collie J. Nicholson Contributor N/A Art Shell ** OT Maryland State 1964–1967 Doug Williams § QB Grambling State 1974–1977 Cleveland Abbott 2012 HC Tuskegee 1923–1954 Willie Brown † SE , OLB Grambling State 1959–1962 Harry Carson ** DE South Carolina State 1972–1975 Eldridge Dickey QB , P Tennessee State 1964–1967 Jackie Graves Contributor N/A James "Shack" Harris QB Grambling State 1965–1968 Claude Humphrey † DE Tennessee State 1964–1967 Steve McNair § QB Alcorn State 1991–1994 Willie Richardson § E Jackson State 1959–1962 Johnny Sample HB , K Maryland State 1954–1957 Rayfield Wright † FS , P , DE , TE Fort Valley State 1963–1966 Elvin Bethea † 2013 OLB North Carolina A&T 1964–1967 Charlie Brackins QB Prairie View A&M 1951–1954 Joe Gilliam Tennessee State 1968–1971 Ken Houston † S , LB Prairie View A&M 1964–1967 Charlie Joiner † WR Grambling State 1965–1968 Ed "Too Tall" Jones DT Tennessee State 1970–1973 Larry Little † OT Bethune–Cookman 1963–1966 John Merritt § HC Jackson State , Tennessee A&I / State 1952–1962, 1963–1983 Charlie Neal Contributor N/A Shannon Sharpe † TE Savannah State 1986–1989 Jackie Slater † OT Jackson State 1973–1976 Robert Brazile † 2014 LB 1971–1974 Marino Casem § HC Alabama State , Alcorn A&M / State , Southern 1963, 1964–1985, 1987–88; 1992 Leroy Kelly † HB Morgan State 1960–1963 John Stallworth † WR Alabama A&M 1970–1973 Michael Strahan † DE Texas Southern 1989–1992 Willie Totten § QB Mississippi Valley State 1981–1985 Doug Wilkerson G North Carolina Central 1966–1969 Roger Brown § 2015 DT Maryland State 1956–1959 Richard Dent † DE Tennessee State 1979–1982 W. C. Gorden § HC Jackson State 1976–1991 L. C. Greenwood DE Arkansas AM&N 1965–1968 Ernie Ladd DT Grambling State 1957–1960 Ken Riley † CB Florida A&M 1965–1968 Donnie Shell ** SS South Carolina State 1970–1973 Ken Burrough 2016 WR Texas Southern 1966–1969 Jethro Pugh DT Elizabeth City State 1961–1964 Otis Taylor FL Prairie View A&M Emmitt Thomas † CB Bishop 1962–1965 Lloyd C. A. Wells Contributor N/A Aeneas Williams † CB , FS Southern 1989–1990 Parnell Dickinson 2017 QB Mississippi Valley State 1972–1975 Harold Jackson WR Jackson State 1964–1967 Billy Joe § HC Cheyney , Central State , Florida A&M , Miles 1972–1978, 1981–1993, 1994–2004, 2008–2010 Gary "Big Hands" Johnson § DT Grambling State 1971–1974 Robert Porcher DE Tennessee State , South Carolina State 1988–1989, 1990–1991 Isiah Robertson LB Southern 1967–1970 Harold Carmichael † 2018 WR Southern Raymond Chester TE Morgan State 1966–1969 Bill Hayes HC Winston-Salem State , North Carolina A&T 1976–1987, 1988–2002 Thomas Henderson LB Langston 1971–1974 Leo Lewis § [b] RB Lincoln (MO) 1951–1954 Greg Lloyd LB Fort Valley State 1983–1986 Everson Walls CB , S Grambling State 1977–1980 Emerson Boozer § 2019 RB Maryland State 1962–1965 Hugh Douglas DE Central State 1992–1994 Rich Jackson Southern 1962–1965 Frank Lewis WR Grambling State 1967–1970 Ace Mumford § HC Jarvis Christian , Bishop , Texas College , Southern 1924–1926, 1927–1929, 1931–1935, 1936–1961 Timmy Newsome RB Winston-Salem State 1976–1979 John Taylor WR Delaware State 1983–1985 Earl "Air" Harvey 2020 QB North Carolina Central 1985–1988 James Hunter CB Grambling State 1972–1975 Robert Mathis DE Alabama A&M 1999–2002 Joe Taylor § HC Howard , Virginia Union , Hampton , Florida A&M 1983, 1984–1991, 1992–2007, 2008–2012 Dennis Thomas Contributor N/A Erik Williams OT Central State 1987–1990 Coy Bacon 2021 DE , DT Jackson State 1962–1966 Willard Bailey HC Virginia Union , Norfolk State , Saint Paul's (VA) , Virginia–Lynchburg 1971–1983; 1995–2003, 1984–1992, 2005–2010, 2011–2013 Greg Coleman P Florida A&M 1972–1975 Jimmie Giles TE Alcorn State 1973–1976 Winston Hill † OT , DT Texas Southern 1959–1962 Roynell Young S , CB Alcorn State 1977–1979 Ben Coates 2022 TE Livingstone College 1987–1990 Donald Driver WR Alcorn State 1995–1998 John "Big Train" Moody RB Morris Brown College 1939–1941 Nate Newton OL Florida A&M 1979–1982 Sammy White WR Grambling State 1972–1975 Roscoe Nance Contributor N/A Billy Nicks § Coach Morris Brown College , Prairie View A&M 1930–1965 Leslie Frazier 2023 DB Alcorn State 1977–1980 Henry Lawrence OT Florida A&M 1970–1973 Albert Lewis CB Grambling State 1979–1982 Jim Marsalis CB Tennessee State 1965–1968 Tyrone McGriff § OL Florida A&M 1976–1979 Elijah Pitts HB Philander Smith College 1957–1960 Pete Richardson Coach Southern , Winston-Salem State 1988–2009 Johnnie Walton QB Elizabeth City State 1965–1968 Joe "747" Adams 2024 QB Tennessee State 1977–1980 Antoine Bethea S Howard 2002–2005 Waymond Bryant LB Tennessee State 1970–1973 Kevin Dent § S Jackson State 1985–1988 Richard Huntley RB Winston-Salem State 1992–1995 Lemar Parrish CB Lincoln 1966–1969 Eddie Hurt Coach Morgan State 1929–1959
Source:[14]
Inductees by school [ edit ] See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] ^ a b "Black College Football Hall of Fame" . ProFootballHOF.com . Retrieved February 25, 2021 . ^ a b Stafford, Leon (August 11, 2012). "Black football hall to honor unsung stars" . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Retrieved February 26, 2021 . ^ Tomasson, Chris (November 20, 2020). "Ex-Vikings punter and 'pioneer' Greg Coleman humbled by selection to Black College Football Hall of Fame" . Duluth News Tribune . Retrieved February 25, 2021 . ^ "Selection Crieria" . BlackCollegeFootballHOF.org . Retrieved February 25, 2021 . ^ Balint, Ed (August 29, 2019). "Football pioneer honors history of black colleges" . CantonRep.com . Retrieved February 25, 2021 . ^ a b Brady, Erik (August 28, 2019). "The QB and the ball boy: A Hall of Fame friendship forged with the Bills" . Buffalo News . Archived from the original on July 30, 2020. ^ Clay, Gregory (May 27, 2016). "Black College Football Hall of Fame gets permanent home" . Andscape . Retrieved March 2, 2021 . ^ a b Strickland, Ray (September 1, 2019). "Pro Football Hall of Fame unveils exhibit honoring historically black college & university legends" . WKYC.com . Retrieved February 25, 2021 . ^ "Black College Football Hall to find home in Canton, Ohio" . Pittsburg Courier . May 20, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2021 . ^ Bona, Marc (August 31, 2019). "Why is the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic important?" . Cleveland.com . Retrieved February 25, 2021 . ^ Doerschuk, Steve (May 12, 2016). "Black College Football Hall of Fame moving to Canton, Hall of Fame Village" . The Columbus Dispatch . ^ "HBCU Legacy Bowl debuts in Louisiana next year" . WBRZ.com . March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021 . ^ "Black College Football Hall of Fame Announces Establishment of the HBCU Legacy Bowl" (Press release). Black College Football Hall of Fame. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021 . ^ "All Inductees" . BlackCollegeFootballHOF.org . Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2021 . External links [ edit ]