At a glance:
- Twenty-five Finalists have been selected from 180 nominees.
- Finalists represent 14 NFL & Super Bowl Championships, 57 Pro Bowl selections and 31 Black College Football National Championships. Three are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
- Seven Inductees will be selected for the Class of 2015, which will be announced on Wednesday, November 5, 2014.
- Inductees will be honored during the Black College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony February 28, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia.
ATLANTA, GA (October 2, 2014) – The Black College Football Hall of Fame announced today 25 Finalists will be on the ballot for induction into the 2015 Black College Football Hall of Fame. The list includes 20 players and five coaches/contributors.
The Finalists were selected from a field of 180 nominees by a 13-member Selection Committee composed of prominent journalists, television commentators and historians, as well as former NFL player personnel executives.
The committee will meet again in the coming weeks to select the seven members (six players and one coach/contributor) who will be inducted as the Black College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2015. All living inductees from the previous Hall of Fame classes will also have the opportunity to submit their votes.
“HBCU football has an incredible history, dating back to the 1800’s,” said NFL player personnel expert Gil Brandt, a member of the Selection Committee. “Choosing which players, coaches and contributors are enshrined becomes more difficult each year.”
This year’s inductees will be announced on November 5, 2014. They will be honored at the Black College Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony, Presented by the Atlanta Falcons on February 28, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia. More information can be found at www.BlackCollegeFootballHOF.org.
PLAYER FINALISTS
- Emerson Boozer (RB, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, 1962-1965)
- Roger Brown (OL, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, 1956-1959)
- Ken Burrough (WR, Texas Southern University, 1966-1969)
- Harold Carmichael (WR, Southern University, 1967-1970)
- Richard Dent (DE, Tennessee State University, 1979-1982)
- Hewritt Dixon (RB, Florida A&M University, 1959-1962)
- L.C. Greenwood (DE, University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 1965-1968)
- Harold Jackson (WR, Jackson State University,1965-1968)
- Gary “Big Hands” Johnson (DL, Grambling State University, 1971-1974)
- Ernie “Big Cat” Ladd (DL, Grambling State University, 1957-1960)
- Leo Lewis (RB, Lincoln University, 1951-1954)
- Tyrone McGriff (OL, Florida A&M University, 1976-1979)
- Timothy Newsome (RB/KR, Winston Salem State University, 1976-1979)
- Jethro Pugh (DE, Elizabeth City State University, 1961-1964)
- Ken Riley (QB, Florida A&M University, 1965-1968)
- Donnie Shell (DB, South Carolina State University, 1970-1973)
- Otis Taylor (WR, Prairie View A&M University, 1961-1964)
- Emmitt Thomas (QB/DB, Bishop College, 1962-1965)
- Everson Walls (DB, Grambling State University, 1977-1980)
- Aeneas Williams (CB, Southern University, 1987-1990)
COACH & CONTRIBUTOR FINALISTS
- Joe Gilliam, Sr. (Defensive Coordinator, Tennessee State University, 1963-1983)
- W.C. Gorden (Head Coach, Jackson State University, 1976-1991)
- Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones (President, Grambling State University, 1936-1977)
- Arnett Mumford (Head Coach, Southern University, 1927-1961)
- William J. “Billy” Nicks (Head Coach, Morris Brown, 1930-1942, Prairie View A&M University, 1945-1965)
About the Black College Football Hall of Fame
The Black College Football Hall of Fame was established in October 2009 to honor the greatest football players and coaches from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Its trustees are football legends Mel Blount, James Harris, Willie Lanier, Art Shell and Doug Williams. The Black College Football Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Shack Harris & Doug Williams Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization.
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