The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame has announced the 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Class.
The 11 First Team All-America players and two standout coaches in the 2021 Class were selected from the national ballot of 78 players and seven coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and the 99 players and 33 coaches from the divisional ranks.
“We are extremely proud to announce the 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Class,” said Archie Manning, NFF Chairman and a 1989 College Football Hall of Famer from Mississippi, in a press release. “Each of these men has established himself among the absolute best to have ever played or coached the game, and we look forward to immortalizing their incredible accomplishments.”
The 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Class will officially be inducted during the 63rd NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 7 alongside the 2020 Hall of Fame Class (the 2020 event was canceled due to COVID-19). The 2020 class includes former Villanova coach Andy Talley.
The 13 new members of the Hall are:
Players
Harris Barton – OT, North Carolina (1983-86)
David Fulcher – DB, Arizona State (1983-85)
Dan Morgan – LB, Miami [FL] (1997-2000)
Carson Palmer – QB, Southern California (1998-2002)
Tony Romo – QB, Eastern Illinois (1999-2002)
Kenneth Sims – DT, Texas (1978-81)
C.J. Spiller – RB/KR, Clemson (2006-09)
Darren Sproles – RB, Kansas State (2001-04)
Aaron Taylor – OT, Notre Dame (1990-93)
Andre Tippett – DE, Iowa (1979-81)
Al Wilson – LB, Tennessee (1995-98)
Coaches
Rudy Hubbard – 83-48-3 (63.1%); Florida A&M (1974-85)
Bob Stoops – 190-48-0 (79.8%); Oklahoma (1999-2016)
Their accomplishments will be forever immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
“With two College Football Hall of Fame classes, the NFF Annual Awards Dinner will prove to be one of the biggest events in the NFF’s history when it returns this December,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “We are beyond excited to announce the 2021 electees and look forward to making induction worth the wait for the 2020 class.”
Including the 2021 Hall of Fame class, only 1,038 players and 223 coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.47 million who have played or coached the game during the past 151 years. In other words, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of the individuals who have played the game have earned this distinction.
The criteria for induction are, first and foremost, a player must have received First-Team All-America recognition by a selector recognized by the NCAA and utilized to comprise its consensus All-America teams.
A player becomes eligible for consideration by the NFF’s Honors Court 10 full seasons after his final year of intercollegiate football played.
While each nominee's football achievements in college 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. Consideration may also be given for academic honors and whether or not the candidate earned a college degree.
Players must have played their last year of intercollegiate football within the last 50 years*. For example, to be eligible for the 2021 ballot, the player must have played his last year in 1971 or thereafter. In addition, current professional players and/or coaches are not eligible until retirement.
A coach becomes eligible three full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided, he is at least 70 years old. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He must have been a head football coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.
Nominations may only be submitted by the current athletics director, head coach, or sports information director (SID) of a potential candidate’s collegiate institution. Nominations may also be submitted by the president/executive director of a dues-paying chapter of the National Football Foundation.