chairman’s message From Archie Manning, Chairman Dear Members and College Football Friends: Welcome to the 2015 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot. Induction into the College Football Hall of Fame represents the pinnacle of achievement in our sport, and it serves as the centerpiece of the National Football Foundation’s efforts to inspire future generations to greatness. In support of the Hall’s lofty aspirations, we are proud to solicit your vote as part of the selection process. Your passion and insights play a critical role in helping us determine who will join this elite fraternity, and we truly appreciate your participation in this revered tradition, which stretches back to the 1950s. Traditionally, you would have received your ballot in the spring of 2015, but we announced earlier this year that the College Football Playoff (CFP) Committee has graciously offered to share the title game’s national platform to help us announce the 2015 inductees. We want to thank CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock and his staff for this opportunity. We believe the presence of the national media at the title game will significantly raise the profile of the announcement, allowing us to shine a much brighter light on the accomplish- ments of our game’s greatest legends. Subsequently, you are receiving your ballot now. You have until Nov. 11 to vote. The announcement of the 2015 class, including the players and coaches from both the Football Bowl Division and the divisional ranks, will be made Friday, Jan. 9 at the media hotel in close proximity to the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and the site of the Jan. 12 title game. Several of the inductees will be on site to represent the class, sharing their thoughts on induction and also participating in the Jan. 12 coin toss. The Jan. 9 announcement will be carried live on the Internet, and we will keep you posted on the details. The new tradition of announcing the College Football Hall of Fame inductees on the Friday before the national title game will have no impact on the induction ceremonies, which will continue to take place during the NFF Annual Awards Dinner in New York City at the Waldorf Astoria, and the 2015 class will be inducted Dec. 8, 2015. This new tradition sets the calendar for several years. The national championship will be played in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 11, 2016, and Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 9, 2017, and the Hall of Fame announcement will take place on Jan. 8, 2016, and Jan. 6, 2017, at the media hotel in the respective cities. We are also introducing another major change in this year’s balloting. We have moved to an electronic voting system. As you will note, you are receiving the ballot via email rather than a hard copy. The new system requires each voter to login to a secure website and cast their votes online. The voting link can be found throughout this issue. Please email [email protected] if you have questions. As you peruse the ballot, please keep in mind that of the 5.06 million who have played college football since the first game on Nov. 6, 1869, only 948 players and 207 coaches have been inducted. In other words, less than two ten-thousandths of one percent (.0002 percent) of those who have participated can call themselves a College Football Hall of Famer. We employ a rigorous set of objective standards to identify only the most worthy candidates, and the criteria limits us to a pool of approximately 1,500 individuals. The nominating process and a district screening system further cull the list to the names you find on the ballot. As you can see, just being on the ballot is a huge honor, and all of the names on the 2015 list rank among the greatest names to ever set foot on the collegiate gridiron. The membership vote plays an important role in the process, so please cast your vote by Nov. 11. We look forward to sharing the results with you. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention the new Hall in Atlanta, which we officially dedicated on Oct. 7. It is a spectacular tribute to our sport, and we look forward to immortalizing the accomplishments of those selected from this ballot. We hope that you will visit soon, and it now stands as a must-stop for all college football fans. Thank you for voting in this very special tradition and submitting your College Football Hall of Fame ballot. Kind regards, Archie Manning Chairman of the Board nff corporate partners www.footballfoundation.org 2 Ballot Issue 2015 HALL OF FAmE BALLOT Football Bowl Subdivision Player Candidates FOOTBALL BOWL SUBDIVISION PLAYER CANDIDATES (VOTE FOR 11) Candidates are listed alphabetically. This ballot includes candidates who were selected by the Honors Court and District Screening Committees. CANDIDATE SCHOOL POSITION(S) YEARS PLAYED CANDIDATE SCHOOL POSITION(S) YEARS PLAYED 1. Trev Alberts Nebraska Linebacker 1990-93 51. Buddy McClinton Auburn Defensive Back 1967-69 2. Eric Bieniemy Colorado Running Back 1987-90 52. Duncan McColl Stanford Defensive End 1973-76 3. Brian Bosworth Oklahoma Linebacker 1984-86 53. Bob McKay Texas Offensive Tackle 1968-69 4. Bob Breunig Arizona State Linebacker 1972-74 54. Cade McNown UCLA Quarterback 1995-98 5. Jerome Brown Miami (Fla.) Defensive Tackle 1983-86 55. Mark Messner Michigan Defensive Tackle 1985-88 6. Ruben Brown Pittsburgh Offensive Tackle 1991-94 56 Ken Norton Jr. UCLA Linebacker 1984-87 7. Steve Brown Oregon State Linebacker 1970-72 57. Herb Orvis Colorado Defensive End 1969-71 8. Brandon Burlsworth Arkansas Offensive Guard 1995-98 58. Jim Otis Ohio State Fullback 1967-69 9. Larry Burton Purdue Split End 1973-74 59. Paul Palmer Temple Running Back 1983-86 10. Keith Byars Ohio State Running Back 1982-85 60. Antwaan Randle El Indiana Quarterback 1998-01 11. Freddie Carr Texas-El Paso Linebacker 1965-67 61. Simeon Rice Illinois Linebacker 1992-95 12. Mark Carrier Southern California Defensive Back 1987-89 62. Ron Rivera California Linebacker 1980-83 13. Wes Chandler Florida Split End 1974-77 63. Mike Ruth Boston College Nose Guard 1982-85 14. Tim Couch Kentucky Quarterback 1996-98 64. Rashaan Salaam Colorado Tailback 1992-94 15. Tom Cousineau Ohio State Linebacker 1975-78 65. Warren Sapp Miami (Fla.) Defensive Tackle 1992-94 16. Bob Crable Notre Dame Linebacker 1978-81 66. Larry Seivers Tennessee Wide Receiver 1974-76 17. Paul Crane Alabama Center 1963-65 67. Art Still Kentucky Defensive End 1974-77 18. Eric Crouch Nebraska Quarterback 1998-01 68. Zach Thomas Texas Tech Linebacker 1992-95 19. Randall Cunningham Nevada-Las Vegas Punter 1982-84 69. Dennis Thurman Southern California Defensive Back 1974-77 20. Troy Davis Iowa State Tailback 1994-96 70. Andre Tippett Iowa Defensive End 1979-81 21. Eric Dickerson Southern Methodist Running Back 1979-82 71. Jackie Walker Tennessee Linebacker 1969-71 22. John Didion Oregon State Center 1966-68 72. Lorenzo White Michigan State Running Back 1984-87 23. Mike Dirks Wyoming Defensive Tackle 1965-67 73. Ricky Williams Texas Running Back 1995-98 24. D.J. Dozier Penn State Running Back 1983-86 74. Steve Wisniewski Penn State Offensive Guard 1985-88 25. Tim Dwight Iowa Kick Returner/Wide Receiver 1994-97 75. Scott Woerner Georgia Defensive Back 1977-80 26. Jumbo Elliott Michigan Offensive Tackle 1984-87 27. Tony Franklin Texas A&M Placekicker 1975-78 Please see the Player Candidate bios on Pages 5-8. 28. William Fuller North Carolina Defensive Tackle 1981-83 29. Moe Gardner Illinois Defensive Tackle 1987-90 30. Thom Gatewood Notre Dame Split End 1969-71 31. Willie Gault Tennessee Wide Receiver 1979-82 HOw TO vOTE 32. Kirk Gibson Michigan State Wide Receiver 1975-78 33. Charlie Gogolak Princeton Placekicker 1963-65 34. Jacob Green Texas A&M Defensive Lineman 1977-79 35. Byron Hanspard Texas Tech Running Back 1994-96 Click here to go to the 36. Al Harris Arizona State Defensive End 1975-78 37. Dana Howard Illinois Linebacker 1991-94 2015 Online Ballot. 38. Randy Hughes Oklahoma Defensive Back 1972-74 39. Bobby Humphrey Alabama Running Back 1985-88 40. Raghib Ismail Notre Dame Wide Receiver 1988-90 SUPPORT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION 41. Dick Jauron Yale Running Back 1970-72 42. Ernie Jennings Air Force Wide Receiver 1968-70 Created in 1947, the National Football Foundation remains a powerful vehicle for 43. Keyshawn Johnson Southern California Wide Receiver 1994-95 those who have benefited from the game to give back to future generations. Your 44. Clinton Jones Michigan State Halfback 1964-66 financial support can make a significant impact on the many NFF programs designed 45. Lincoln Kennedy Washington Offensive Tackle 1989-92 to promote leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal and academic excellence in 46. Tim Krumrie Wisconsin Defensive Tackle 1979-82 America’s young people. 47. Greg Lewis Washington Running Back 1987-90 Please consider including the NFF in your annual gift planning. To learn more about 48. Jess Lewis Oregon State Defensive Tackle 1966-67, 1969 making a financial gift, please contact NFF Director of Finance Sue Tuggle at 973-556- 40. Ray Lewis Miami (Fla.) Linebacker 1993-95 1000 or by email at [email protected]. The NFF is a 501(c) (3) 50. Robert Lytle Michigan Running Back 1974-76 tax-exempt organization, and your financial contribution may be eligible for tax ben- efits based on your individual circumstances. www.footballfoundation.org 3 Ballot Issue 2015 Hall of fame ballot Football Bowl Subdivision Coach Candidates FOOTBALL BOWL SUBDIVISION COACH CANDIDATES (VOTE FOR 2) Candidates are listed alphabetically.