At a glance:
- Finalists have been selected from over 175 nominees.
- Finalists represent 10 Super Bowl Rings, 46 Pro Bowl and AFL/NFL All-Star selections and 19 Black College Football National Championships.
- The Class of 2017 Inductees will be announced on October 26, 2016.
- Inductees will be honored during the Black College Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on February 25, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia.
ATLANTA, GA (October 5, 2016) – The Black College Football Hall of Fame announced today the 25 Finalists for induction into the Black College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017. The list includes 20 players and five coaches.
The Finalists were selected from a field of over 175 nominees by a 13-member Selection Committee composed of prominent journalists, commentators, historians, former NFL General Managers and football executives.
“The number of players that Historically Black Colleges and Universities sent to the NFL is amazing,” said NFL player personnel expert Gil Brandt, a member of the Selection Committee. “Football history runs deep at these schools, and it’s an important part of history to recognize and preserve.”
The committee will meet again in the coming weeks to select the six members (five players and one coach) who will be inducted as the Black College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017.
"I would like to thank our Selection Committee for their dedication and commitment,” said Committee Chairman Roscoe Nance. “We research players and coaches for several months, then spend hours together on deliberation.”
This year’s inductees will be announced on October 26, 2016. They will be honored during the Black College Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, on February 25, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia.
For more information, please visit www.BlackCollegeFootballHOF.org.
PLAYER FINALISTS
- Joe “747” Adams (QB, Tennessee State University, 1977-1980)
- Coy Bacon (DL, Jackson State University, 1964-1967)
- Emerson Boozer (RB, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, 1962-1965)
- Harold Carmichael (WR, Southern University, 1967-1970)
- Raymond Chester (TE, Morgan State University, 1966-1969)
- Parnell “Paydirt” Dickinson (QB, Mississippi Valley State University, 1972-1975)
- Earl “Air” Harvey (QB, North Carolina Central University, 1985-1988)
- James Hunter (DB, Grambling State University, 1972-1975)
- Harold Jackson (WR, Jackson State University, 1965-1968)
- Gary “Big Hands” Johnson (DL, Grambling State University, 1971-1974)
- Henry Lawrence (OL, Florida A&M University, 1970-1973)
- Greg Lloyd (LB, Fort Valley State University, 1983-1986)
- Leo “Lincoln Locomotive” Lewis (RB, Lincoln University, 1951-1954)
- Frank Lewis (WR, Grambling State University, 1967-1970)
- Tyrone McGriff (OL, Florida A&M University, 1976-1979)
- Timothy Newsome (RB/KR, Winston Salem State University, 1976-1979)
- Robert Porcher (DL, Tennessee State and South Carolina State University, 1988-1991)
- Isiah Robertson (DB/LB, Southern University, 1967-1970)
- John Taylor, (WR, Delaware State University, 1982-1985)
- Everson Walls (DB, Grambling State University, 1977-1980)
COACH FINALISTS
- Bill Hayes (Head Football Coach, Winston Salem State 1976-1987, North Carolina A&T 1988-2003)
- Billy Joe (Head Football Coach, Cheyney University 1972-1978, Central State University 1981-1993, Florida A&M University 1994-2004, Miles College 2007-2010)
- Arnett “Ace” Mumford (Head Football Coach, Jarvis Christian 1924-1926, Bishop College 1927-1929, Texas College 1931-1935, Southern University 1936-1961)
- Doug Porter (Mississippi Valley State University 1961-1965, Howard University 1974-1978, Fort Valley State University 1979-1996)
- Joe Taylor (Howard University 1983, Virginia Union 1984-1991, Hampton University 1992-2007, Florida A&M University 2008-2012)
About the Black College Football Hall of Fame
The Black College Football Hall of Fame was founded in 2009 by African-American pioneers, quarterbacks James Harris and Doug Williams to preserve the history and honor the greatest football players, coaches and contributors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). There have been 64 Inductees since inception, including Mel Blount, James Harris, Willie Lanier, Art Shell and Doug Williams, who serve as Trustees.
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