College Football Hall of Fame - wikipedia College Football Hall of Fame College Football Hall of Fame Exterior of the current College Football Hall of Fame Established August 23, 2014 Location 250 Marietta St. NW Atlanta, Georgia 30313 Coordinates 33 ° 45 ′ 38 '' N 84 ° 23 ′ 44 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 33.760442 ° N 84.395564 ° W ﻿ / 33.760442 ; - 84.395564 Type College sports hall of fame Visitors 250,000 Director Dennis Adamovich Curator Kent Stephens Website www.cfbhall.com Coordinates : 33 ° 45 ′ 37.59 '' N 84 ° 23 ′ 44.03 '' W ﻿ / ﻿ 33.7604417 ° N 84.3955639 ° W ﻿ / 33.7604417 ; - 84.3955639 The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation ( NFF ) launched the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football. From 1995 to 2012, the Hall was located in South Bend, Indiana. It was connected to a convention center and situated in the city 's renovated downtown district, 2 miles ( 3.2 km ) south of the University of Notre Dame campus. In August 2014, the College Football Hall of Fame and Chick - fil - A Fan Experience opened in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The facility is a 94,256 square feet ( 8,756.7 m ) attraction located in the heart of Atlanta 's sports, entertainment and tourism district, and is adjacent to the Georgia World Congress Center and Centennial Olympic Park. Part of the American football series on History of American football Origins of American football Early history of American football First game Walter Camp First pro player First pro league Modern history of American football Close relations : Medieval football Old division football Rugby football Association football Canadian football Black players in professional American football Homosexuality in American football Concussions in American football Rugby union comparison Rugby league comparison Canadian football comparison Pro Football Hall of Fame College Football Hall of Fame Years in American football NFL season - by - season College football season - by - season Glossary of American football American football Portal Contents 1 History 1.1 Early plans and locations 1.2 Move to Atlanta 2 Inductees 2.1 Players by school 3 Criteria for induction 4 References 5 External links History Early plans and locations College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind. featured a newly installed Sprinturf artificial turf field. The South Bend location closed on Dec. 31, 2012. College Football Hall of Fame side entrance. Blocking activity cage. Original plans in 1967 called for the Hall of Fame to be located at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the location of the first contest under rules now considered to be those of modern football, between teams from Rutgers and the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University ; Rutgers won 6 -- 4. Rutgers donated land near its football stadium, office space, and administrative support. After years of collecting donations for the construction of the building with ground not having been broken and no plans to do so, the New Jersey Attorney General began an investigation of the finances of the Hall of Fame 's foundation, the National Football Foundation. In response, the Foundation moved its operations to New York City, where it continued to collect donations for several years. When the New York Attorney General 's office began its own investigation, the foundation moved to Kings Mills, Ohio, where a building finally was constructed adjacent to Kings Island in 1978. The Hall opened with good attendance figures early on, but visitation dwindled dramatically as time went on, and the facility closed in 1992. Nearby Galbreath Field remained open as the home of Moeller High School football until 2003. A new building was opened in South Bend, Indiana on August 25, 1995. Despite estimates that the South Bend location would attract more than 150,000 visitors a year, the Hall of Fame drew about 115,000 people the first year, and about 80,000 annually after that. It closed in 2012. Move to Atlanta In 2009, the National Football Foundation decided to move the College Football Hall of Fame to Atlanta, Georgia. The possibility of moving the museum has been brought up in other cities, including Dallas, which had the financial backing of billionaire T. Boone Pickens. However, the National Football Foundation ultimately decided on Atlanta for the next site. The new $68.5 million museum opened on August 23, 2014. It is located next to Centennial Olympic Park, which is near other attractions such as the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca - Cola, CNN Center, and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The Hall of Fame is located near the Georgia Institute of Technology of the ACC and roughly 70 miles ( 110 km ) from the University of Georgia of the SEC. The new building broke ground on January 28, 2013. Sections of the architecture are reminiscent of a football in shape. The facility is 94,256 square feet ( 8,756.7 m ) and contains approximately 50,000 square feet ( 4,600 m ) of exhibit and event space, interactive displays and a 45 - yard indoor football field. Atlanta Hall Management operates the College Football Hall of Fame. Inductees See also : List of College Football Hall of Fame inductees ( players, A -- K ) ; List of College Football Hall of Fame inductees ( players, L -- Z ) ; and List of College Football Hall of Fame inductees ( coaches ) As of 2017, there are 987 players and 214 coaches enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, representing 306 schools. Players by school This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( June 2017 ) Institution Players inducted Notre Dame 45 USC 40 Michigan 32 Tennessee 28 Ohio State 25 Yale 25 Army 24 Princeton 24 Alabama 20 Navy 20 Oklahoma 20 Penn State 19 Harvard 18 Minnesota 18 Nebraska 18 Penn 18 Pittsburgh 18 Stanford 18 Texas 17 California 16 Northwestern 15 Washington 15 Georgia 14 Georgia Tech 14 Wisconsin 13 Florida 12 Texas A&M 10 Iowa 9 Criteria for induction The National Football Foundation outlines specific criteria that may be used for evaluating a possible candidate for induction into the Hall of Fame. A player must have received major first team All - America recognition. A player becomes eligible for consideration 10 years after his last year of intercollegiate football played. Football achievements are considered first, but the post-football record as a citizen is also weighed. Players must have played their last year of intercollegiate football within the last 50 years. The nominee must have ended his professional athletic career prior to the time of the nomination. Coaches must have at least 10 years of head coaching experience, coached 100 games, and had at least a. 600 winning percentage. The eligibility criteria have changed over time, and have occasionally led to criticism. Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com has said, The NFF election process is arcane and confusing. Based on current rules, Notre Dame 's Joe Montana will never be in the College Football Hall of Fame. He was never an All - American on a team recognized by the NCAA. If that sounds outrageous, consider that at one time hall of famers had to actually graduate. ( emphasis in original ) References Jump up ^ Tetlak, Amanda ( 2012 - 12 - 30 ). `` College Football Hall of Fame Closes in South Bend ''. WSJV - TV. Archived from the original on 2013 - 10 - 12. Retrieved 2012 - 12 - 30. Jump up ^ `` Hours, Directions & Parking Info - College Football Hall of Fame ''. www.cfbhall.com. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 07. Jump up ^ `` VSBA NATIONAL COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME COMPETITION '' ( PDF ). 1967. Retrieved June 5, 2013. Jump up ^ Rohrer, Jim ( 2011 - 08 - 09 ). `` College Football Hall of Fame not enough to bring fortune to Mason ''. Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on 2014 - 04 - 15. Jump up ^ Lesar, Al ( 2012 - 12 - 30 ). `` Hall of Fame Curator Here from Beginning to End ''. South Bend Tribune. Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 02. Jump up ^ `` Hall moving from South Bend to Atlanta ''. Associated Press. September 23, 2009. Retrieved March 2, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Hall hoping to open new building in 2012 ''. Atlanta Journal - Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia : Associated Press. September 24, 2009. Retrieved March 2, 2013. Jump up ^ `` History of the Hall - College Football Hall of Fame ''. www.cfbhall.com. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 07. Jump up ^ Lesar, Al ( 2012 - 07 - 22 ). `` Hall to Be Gone by December ''. South Bend Tribune. Retrieved 2012 - 07 - 24. Jump up ^ `` Hall hoping to open new building in 2012 ''. September 24, 2009. Retrieved March 2, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` Stephenson to lead development of College Football Hall of Fame ''. Atlanta Business Chronicle. February 4, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Interactivity at Core of Football Hall Design ''. Civil Engineering. March 19, 2013. Archived from the original on December 18, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Slideshow : Jan. 28 groundbreaking set for College Football Hall of Fame ''. Atlanta Business Chronicle. December 31, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2013. Jump up ^ `` National Football Foundation - College Football Hall of Fame ''. National Football Foundation. Retrieved February 21, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Inductees - Football Players & Coaches - College Football Hall of Fame ''. www.cfbhall.com. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 07. Jump up ^ `` Inductees Selection Process ''. College Football Hall of Fame. Jump up ^ Dodd, Dennis. `` 2014 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot Released : Latest Details and Reaction ''. Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 21, 2017. External links Official website Atlanta landmarks Current Commercial Atlantic Station AmericasMart Clermont Lounge Five Points Coca - Cola sign Lenox Square Mary Mac 's Tea Room Phipps Plaza Ponce City Market Underground Atlanta The Varsity Governmental Atlanta City Hall Elbert P. Tuttle United States Court of Appeals Building Federal Penitentiary Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Georgia Governor 's Mansion Georgia Railroad Freight Depot Georgia State Capitol Miss Freedom Monuments Atlanta from the Ashes ( The Phoenix ) Carnegie Education Pavilion Millennium Gate Oakland Cemetery Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial World Athletes Monument Museums APEX Museum Atlanta Contemporary Art Center Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum Atlanta History Center Callanwolde Fine Arts Center Children 's Museum of Atlanta College Football Hall of Fame Delta Flight Museum Fernbank Museum of Natural History Fernbank Science Center Hammonds House Museum High Museum of Art Jimmy Carter Library and Museum Joel Chandler Harris House ( Wren 's Nest ) King Plow Arts Center Margaret Mitchell House and Museum Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site Michael C. Carlos Museum Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia Museum of Design Atlanta National Center for Civil and Human Rights Rhodes Memorial Hall House Museum Robert C. Williams Paper Museum William Breman Jewish Heritage & Holocaust Museum World of Coca - Cola Parks and wildlife Atlanta Botanical Garden BeltLine Stone Mountain Centennial Olympic Park Chastain Park Chattahoochee River Fernbank Forest Georgia Aquarium Grant Park Historic Fourth Ward Park Zoo Atlanta Piedmont Park Woodruff Park Performing arts Alliance Theatre Atlanta Symphony Hall Atlanta Civic Center Buckhead Theatre Center for Puppetry Arts Fox Theatre Goat Farm Arts Center King Plow Arts Center Plaza Theatre Shakespeare Tavern The Masquerade The Tabernacle Tara Theatre Variety Playhouse Woodruff Arts Center Residential ( former ) Asa G. Candler Jr. ( Callanwolde ) Water T. Candler ( Lullwater ) * Joel Chandler Harris ( Wren 's Nest ) Alonzo F. Herndon Edward H. Inman ( Swan House ) Martin Luther King, Jr. Ferdinand McMillan ( The Castle ) Margaret Mitchell Edward C. Peters ( Ivy Hall ) Amos Giles Rhodes ( Rhodes Hall ) Rufus M. Rose Craigie House Skyscrapers Historic ( pre-WWII ) Candler ( 1906 ) Flatiron ( 1897 ) Healey ( 1914 ) Hurt ( 1926 ) J. Mack Robinson ( Empire ) ( 1901 ) The Metropolitan ( 1911 ) Rhodes - Haverty ( 1929 ) Southern Bell ( 1929 ) William - Oliver ( 1930 ) Winecoff Hotel ( 1913 ) Downtown 25 Park Place ( Trust Company of Georgia ) 55 Marietta Street ( Fulton National Bank ) 191 Peachtree Tower Centennial Tower Equitable Five Points Plaza Fourth National Bank building Georgia Power Georgia - Pacific Tower Hyatt Regency Atlanta Marriott Marquis One Park Tower Peachtree Center Peachtree Summit State of Georgia Building SunTrust Plaza TWELVE Centennial Park Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel Midtown 12th & Midtown ( 1010 Midtown 10 Sixty Five Midtown 1075 Peachtree ) 1100 Peachtree 1180 Peachtree 1280 West AT&T Midtown Center Atlantic Center Plaza Atlantic Station ( 171 17th Street The Atlantic ) Bank of America Plaza The Campanile Coca - Cola Colony Square CNN Center Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta / GLG Grand Georgian Terrace Hotel Mayfair Condominiums One Atlantic Center ( IBM Tower ) Promenade II Spire ViewPoint Buckhead 2828 Peachtree 3344 Peachtree 3630 Peachtree Atlanta Financial Center Atlanta Plaza Buckhead Grand Mandarin Oriental Paramount at Buckhead Park Avenue Condominiums Park Place The Pinnacle Realm Resurgens Plaza Terminus Tower Place Perimeter Center Concourse Corporate Center V & VI ( King & Queen towers ) Park Towers I & II Three Ravinia Drive Sports venues Bobby Dodd Stadium Georgia State Stadium GSU Sports Arena McCamish Pavilion Mercedes - Benz Stadium Philips Arena SunTrust Park Former 688 Club Atlanta Cabana Motel Atlanta Hotel Atlanta -- Fulton County Stadium Atlanta ( Confederate ) Rolling Mill Atlantic Steel Mill Centennial Olympic Stadium † Coca - Cola Olympic City DeGive 's Opera House Equitable Building ( 1892 ) Fourth National Bank Georgia Dome 3rd Georgia Governor 's Mansion ( John H. James mansion ) Henry Grady Hotel Hotel Aragon Kimball House Loew 's Grand Theatre Masonic Temple National Museum of Patriotism Omni Coliseum Paramount Theater Piedmont Hotel Ponce de Leon amusement park Ponce de Leon Park ( ballpark ) Ponce de Leon Springs Republic Block Rich 's Riverbend Apartments Roxy Theatre SciTrek State Square Terminal Station Trout House Turner Broadcasting tower Turner Field † Union Stations : 1853 1871 1930 Post Office and Customs House / City Hall ( 1911 - 1930 ) Washington Hall † -- Centennial Olympic Stadium was rebuilt in 1997 as Turner Field. In turn, Turner Field was rebuilt as Georgia State Stadium in 2017. Planned Atlanta Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal Atlanta Symphony Center Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=College_Football_Hall_of_Fame&oldid=833247679 '' Categories : College Football Hall of Fame International Sports Heritage Association Sports museums in Georgia ( U.S. state ) Museums in Atlanta Sports organisations established in 1936 Halls of fame in Georgia ( U.S. state ) Hidden categories : Pages using deprecated image syntax Coordinates on Wikidata Articles needing additional references from June 2017 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Français Italiano Polski Simple English Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 30 March 2018, at 13 : 22. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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Question: when did the college football hall of fame open
Answer: 1951