Numerous former NFL stars are on the latest list of candidates for the College Football Hall of Fame.
One of those on the ballot is Miami (Fla.) defensive tackle Warren Sapp, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year. Sapp currently works for NFL Network. Other NFL Network employees on the Hall list are South Carolina wide receiver Sterling Sharpe and TCU running back LaDainian Tomlinson.
Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera, who was a star linebacker at California, is another on the list.
The 2014 class will be announced in May, with the official induction coming Dec. 9. Ballots were mailed this week to more than 12,000 members of the National Football Foundation -- which oversees the Hall of Fame -- and current Hall of Famers. There is no set number of inductees, though the number usually is around 11 or 12 players and two coaches.
The FBS list includes 75 former players and six coaches. The ballot also includes players from the FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA ranks; among the candidates in that group are former NFL players Marlin Briscoe, Mark Cotney and Don Griffin.
Among the other FBS players: North Carolina cornerback Dre Bly, USC offensive tackle Tony Boselli, USC safety Mark Carrier, Florida wide receiver Wes Chandler, UNLV quarterback Randall Cunningham, SMU running back Eric Dickerson, Miami (Fla.) linebacker Ray Lewis, Illinois linebacker Simeon Rice and Alabama linebacker Derrick Thomas.
Heisman winners Eric Crouch, a quarterback at Nebraska; Rashaan Salaam, a running back at Colorado; and Ricky Williams, a running back at Texas, also are on the ballot.
Darryl Rogers, who spent four seasons (1985-88) as the coach of the Detroit Lions, is one of the coaches on the list.
A complete list of the nominees is here:
From the NFF website: "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."
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
