Indiana University Athletics
Randle El on College Football Hall of Fame Ballot
6/3/2015 4:03:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Former Hoosiers quarterback Antwaan Randle El (1998-2001) is on the 2016 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced. He is one of 76 players and five coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 92 players and 27 coaches from the divisional ranks.
Randle El earned All-Big Ten distinction in 1999, 2000 and 2001, and he was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 1998. The Big Ten MVP and a first team All-American in 2001 also finished sixth in Heisman Trophy balloting after finishing 13th in 2000.
The Riverdale, Ill., native was the first player in NCAA history to score 40 touchdowns (45) and throw for 40 TDs (42), the first to record over 2,500 total yards in four seasons, and the first to both pass for over 6,000 yards and rush for over 3,000 yards.
He played in the NFL for 10 years with Pittsburgh and Washington and was a member of the 2005 Super Bowl champion Steelers.
The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today the names on the 2016 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, including 76 players and five coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 92 players and 27 coaches from the divisional ranks.
"Having a ballot and a voice in the selection of the inductees is one of the most cherished NFF member benefits," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, a 1989 Hall of Fame inductee from Mississippi. "There is no group more knowledgeable or passionate about college football than our membership, and the tradition of the ballot helps us engage them in the lofty responsibility of selecting those who have reached the pinnacle of achievement in our sport."
The NFF is continuing with its electronic voting system for balloting that it unveiled last year. The ballot was emailed this week to the more than 12,000 NFF members and current Hall of Famers whose votes will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF's Honors Courts, which deliberate and select the class. The FBS Honors Court, chaired by former ACC Commissioner and NCAA president and NFF Director Emeritus Gene Corrigan, and the Divisional Honors Court, chaired by former Marshall head coach, longtime athletics director and NFF Board Member Jack Lengyel, include an elite and geographically diverse pool of athletic administrators, Hall of Famers and members of the media.
"It's an enormous honor to just be on the ballot when you think that more than 5.06 million people have played college football," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "The Hall's requirement of being a First-Team All-American creates a much smaller pool of only 1,500 individuals who are even eligible to be on the ballot, so being in today's elite group means an individual is truly among the greatest to ever have played the game, and we are proud to announce their names. We look forward to announcing the 2016 Hall of Fame Class on the Friday before the College Football Playoff National Championship."
The announcement of the 2016 Class will be made Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, at the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, Ariz. The hotel is serving as the official media hotel for the College Football Playoff National Championship, which will be played Jan. 11 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Several of the inductees will be on site at the press conference to represent the class and share their thoughts on the announcement. The Jan. 8 event will be televised live, and more information will be available as the date draws near. Inductees will also participate in the pregame festivities and the coin toss on Jan. 11.
"We cannot thank CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock and his staff enough for the opportunity to continue this new tradition of announcing our Hall of Fame Class in conjunction with the Championship Game," said Hatchell. "The presence of the national media at the title game significantly raises the profile of the announcement, allowing us to shine a much brighter light on the accomplishments of our game's greatest legends. The Announcement of the 2015 Class in Dallas this past January drew a packed house of the national media, and we anticipate the event will garner more attention in the coming years as it becomes a signature part of the Championship weekend."
The tradition of announcing the College Football Hall of Fame inductees on the Friday before the national title game does not have an impact on the induction ceremonies, which continue to take place during the NFF Annual Awards Dinner in New York City at the Waldorf Astoria, and the 2016 Class will be inducted on Dec. 6, 2016.
To be eligible for the ballot, players must have been named a First Team All-American by a major/national selector as recognized and utilized by the NCAA for their consensus All-America teams; played their last year of intercollegiate football at least 10 years prior; played within the last 50 years and cannot be currently playing professional football. Coaches must have coached a minimum of 10 years and 100 games as a head coach; won at least 60 percent of their games; and be retired from coaching for at least three years. If a coach is retired and over the age of 70, there is no waiting period. If he is over the age of 75, he is eligible as an active coach. In both cases, the candidate's post-football record as a citizen may also be weighed.
Once nominated for consideration, all player candidates are submitted to one of eight District Screening Committees, depending on their school's geographic location, which conducts a vote to determine who will appear on the ballot and represent their respective districts. Each year, approximately 15 candidates, who are not selected for the Hall of Fame, will be named automatic holdovers and will bypass the district screening process and automatically appear on the ballot the following year. Additionally, the Veterans Committee may make recommendations to the Honors Court for exceptions that allow for the induction of players who played more than 50 years ago.
Of the 5.06 million individuals who have played college football since Princeton first battled Rutgers on Nov. 6, 1869, only 963 players, including the 2015 class, have earned induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, or less than two ten-thousandths (.0002) of one percent of those who have played the game during the past 146 years. From the coaching ranks, 209 individuals have achieved Hall of Fame distinction.
