September 24, 2013 (Atlanta, GA) – Already a member of the highest club professional football players can join after their time on the field. Alabama A&M NFL Hall of Famer John Stallworth was recently named as a finalist for the Black College Football Hall of Fame. The announced 25 finalists will be on the ballot for induction into the Fifth Annual Black College Football Hall of Fame. The list includes 20 players and five coaches/contributors.
The finalists were selected from a field of over 125 nominees by an 11 member Selection Committee comprised of prominent journalists, historians and football executives. The committee will meet again in the coming weeks to select the seven members (six players and one coach/contributor) to be inducted as the Class of 2014. "On behalf of the Black College Football Hall of Fame, we would like to congratulate all of the 2014 finalists. With so many deserving nominees, narrowing the list down to 25 finalists is not an easy task for the committee," explained Roscoe Nance, Chairman of the Selection Committee.
The Black College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2014 will be announced on October 23, 2013. New members will be honored at the Fifth Annual Enshrinement Ceremony, presented by the Atlanta Falcons on March 1, 2014. The event will take place at the Loews Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia in conjunction with Black College Football weekend. "The Falcons are once again honored to support the Black College Football Hall of Fame," said Atlanta Falcons Owner & Chairman Arthur Blank. "The history and heroes of Black College Football are stories that must be told."
The Black College Football Hall of Fame was established to honor the greatest football players, coaches and contributors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Each inductee's college or university will receive a $5,000 grant to support continuing academic and athletic opportunities at their respective institutions.
PLAYERS FINALISTS
Emerson Boozer (RB, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, 1962-1965)
Robert Brazile (LB, Jackson State University, 1971-1975)
Roger Brown (OL, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, 1956-1959)
Harold Carmichael (WR, Southern University, 1967-1970)
Richard Dent (DE, Tennessee State University, 1979-1982)
L.C. Greenwood (DE, University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 1965-1968)
Harold Jackson (WR, Jackson State University, 1965-1968)
Leroy Kelly (RB, Morgan State University, 1960-1963)
Ernie "Big Cat" Ladd (DL, Grambling State University, 1957-1960)
Jethro Pugh (DE, Elizabeth City State University, 1961-1964)
Donnie Shell (DB, South Carolina State University, 1970-1973)
John Stallworth (WR, Alabama A&M University, 1970-1973)
Michael Strahan (DE, Texas Southern University, 1989-1992)
Ken Riley (QB, Florida A&M University, 1965-1968)
Willie "Satellite" Totten (QB, Mississippi Valley State University, 1982-1985)
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)
Doug Wilkerson (OL, North Carolina Central University, 1966-1969)
Aeneas Williams (CB, Southern University, 1987-1990)
COACH & CONTRIBUTOR FINALISTS
Marino Casem (Head Coach, Alcorn State University, 1963-1992)
Joe Gilliam, Sr. (Tennessee State University Defensive Coordinator)
William Joe (Head Coach, Central State University 1981-1993, Florida A&M 1994-2004)
Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones (President, Grambling State University, 1936-1977)
Arnett Mumford (Head Coach, Southern University, 1927-1961)
About the Black College Football Hall of Fame
Stallworth set numerous receiving marks at Alabama A&M in 1972 and 1973. At A&M he caught 103 passes, including 48 as a senior for 925 yards, and was a two-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference pick. He played in the Senior Bowl, following the 1973 season. He later had his jersey number retired. He earned a B.S. degree in management and later added a master's degree in business administration with a concentration in finance. Stallworth went on to become an All-Pro receiver in the National Football League.
From 1974-87 he set numerous Pittsburgh Steeler records, including 63 touchdowns in a career, 67 straight games with one or more pass reception, 25 games with 100 or more yards receiving, seven games in one season with 100 or more yards receiving, 8,723 career yards receiving, 1,395 receiving yards in a single season and 80 catches in a season. In addition to his 80 catches in 1984, he added 75 in 1985 and 70 in 1979 for the top three performances in Steeler history. His 537 career catches is also a record. He led the team in receiving five times, was Steeler MVP in 1979 and 1984, Pro Bowl selection in 1980, 1983 and 1985 and was a member of the championship team in Super Bowls IX, X, XII and XIV. He was twice chosen as the Steelers' Most Valuable Player and was named Dapper Dan Man of the Year in 1984.
He was also named to the All-Time Steelers' team in 1982 and he was selected Vector's Sports Man of the Year in 1987. He was voted to the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame and the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1989. In 1997, Stallworth was named to the Division II Football Team of the Quarter Century. Stallworth, a native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., was born on July 15, 1952. He has been honored with John Stallworth Days in Huntsville, Ala., Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Los Angeles, Calif. He serves as President of Madison Research Corporation - an aerospace engineering company in Huntsville.
Since inception (2010), 44 members have been inducted and over $172,000 in scholarships has been awarded to Historically Black Colleges & Universities. The Black College Football Hall of Fame is based in Atlanta, Georgia and was founded by Black Quarterback NFL Pioneers James "Shack" Harris and Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams.
