# Black College Football Hall of Fame

The Black College Football Hall of Fame (BCFHOF) is an American hall of fame for college football players, coaches and contributors from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). It was founded in 2009 in Atlanta, centrally located to many of the country's black universities. Its museum is located within the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Players are eligible for induction if they played at least two seasons at an HBCU and finished their college career at an HBCU. They can be nominated five years after their last college season. Any current or former head coach of an HBCU is eligible. Anyone can be nominated as a contributor.

## History

The BCFHOF was co-founded by James Harris and Doug Williams, former quarterbacks who both played football at the historically black university Grambling State University before playing professionally. As a rookie with the Buffalo Bills in 1969, Harris become the first black quarterback to be the starter in a season opener in either the American Football League or the National Football League (NFL). Williams was the first black quarterback to play in a Super Bowl, starting for the Washington Redskins and winning Super Bowl XXII while being named the Super Bowl MVP.
At its inception in 2009, the BCFHOF did not have a building. Its induction ceremonies and educational programs were held at various hotels in Atlanta. In 2016, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that it was providing a permanent home for the BCFHOF. The exhibit officially opened in 2019, held on the same weekend as the inaugural Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. The BCFHOF continues to run independently with its board of directors and choosing its inductees.
In 2021, the BCFHOF partnered with the NFL, Pro Football Hall of Fame and Tulane University to establish the HBCU Legacy Bowl, a postseason all-star game for NFL Draft-eligible players from HBCUs.

## Inductees

| Also member of College Football and Pro Football Hall of Fame** | Also member of College Football Hall of Fame § | Also member of Pro Football Hall of Fame† |
| Inductee | Class | Position | College(s) | Years |
| Buck Buchanan** | 2010 | OT, DE | Grambling State | 1959–1962 |
| Jake Gaither§ | 2010 | HC | Florida A&M | 1945–1969 |
| Willie Galimore§ | 2010 | HB | Florida A&M | 1953–1956 |
| Deacon Jones† | 2010 | DE | South Carolina State, Mississippi Valley State | 1958, 1960 |
| Willie Lanier** | 2010 | LB, G | Morgan State | 1963–1966 |
| Bill Nunn† | 2010 | Contributor | N/A | N/A |
| Walter Payton** | 2010 | RB | Jackson State | 1971–1974 |
| Jerry Rice** | 2010 | WR | Mississippi Valley State | 1981–1984 |
| Eddie Robinson§ | 2010 | HC | Grambling State | 1941–1997 |
| Ben Stevenson§ | 2010 | HB | Tuskegee | 1923–1930 |
| Paul "Tank" Younger§ | 2010 | HB, LB | Grambling State | 1945–1948 |
| Earl Banks§ | 2011 | HC | Morgan State | 1960–1973 |
| Lem Barney† | 2011 | CB | Jackson State | 1963–1966 |
| Mel Blount† | 2011 | CB, S | Southern | 1966–1969 |
| Rosey Brown† | 2011 | OT | Morgan State | 1949–1952 |
| Willie Davis† | 2011 | OT, DE | Grambling State | 1952–1955 |
| Bob Hayes† | 2011 | SE | Florida A&M | 1962–1965 |
| Willie Jeffries§ | 2011 | HC | South Carolina State, Howard | 1973–1978; 1989–2001, 1984–1988 |
| Joe Kendall§ | 2011 | HB | Kentucky State | 1933–1936 |
| Collie J. Nicholson | 2011 | Contributor | N/A | N/A |
| Art Shell** | 2011 | OT | Maryland State | 1964–1967 |
| Doug Williams§ | 2011 | QB | Grambling State | 1974–1977 |
| Cleveland Abbott | 2012 | HC | Tuskegee | 1923–1954 |
| Willie Brown† | 2012 | SE, OLB | Grambling State | 1959–1962 |
| Harry Carson** | 2012 | DE | South Carolina State | 1972–1975 |
| Eldridge Dickey | 2012 | QB, P | Tennessee State | 1964–1967 |
| Jackie Graves | 2012 | Contributor | N/A | N/A |
| James "Shack" Harris | 2012 | QB | Grambling State | 1965–1968 |
| Claude Humphrey† | 2012 | DE | Tennessee State | 1964–1967 |
| Steve McNair§ | 2012 | QB | Alcorn State | 1991–1994 |
| Willie Richardson§ | 2012 | E | Jackson State | 1959–1962 |
| Johnny Sample | 2012 | HB, K | Maryland State | 1954–1957 |
| Rayfield Wright† | 2012 | FS, P, DE, TE | Fort Valley State | 1963–1966 |
| Elvin Bethea† | 2013 | OLB | North Carolina A&T | 1964–1967 |
| Charlie Brackins | 2013 | QB | Prairie View A&M | 1951–1954 |
| Joe Gilliam | 2013 | QB | Tennessee State | 1968–1971 |
| Ken Houston† | 2013 | S, LB | Prairie View A&M | 1964–1967 |
| Charlie Joiner† | 2013 | WR | Grambling State | 1965–1968 |
| Ed "Too Tall" Jones | 2013 | DT | Tennessee State | 1970–1973 |
| Larry Little† | 2013 | OT | Bethune–Cookman | 1963–1966 |
| John Merritt§ | 2013 | HC | Jackson State, Tennessee A&I / State | 1952–1962, 1963–1983 |
| Charlie Neal | 2013 | Contributor | N/A | N/A |
| Shannon Sharpe† | 2013 | TE | Savannah State | 1986–1989 |
| Jackie Slater† | 2013 | OT | Jackson State | 1973–1976 |
| Robert Brazile† | 2014 | LB | Jackson State | 1971–1974 |
| Marino Casem§ | 2014 | HC | Alabama State, Alcorn A&M / State, Southern | 1963, 1964–1985, 1987–88; 1992 |
| Leroy Kelly† | 2014 | HB | Morgan State | 1960–1963 |
| John Stallworth† | 2014 | WR | Alabama A&M | 1970–1973 |
| Michael Strahan† | 2014 | DE | Texas Southern | 1989–1992 |
| Willie Totten§ | 2014 | QB | Mississippi Valley State | 1981–1985 |
| Doug Wilkerson | 2014 | G | North Carolina Central | 1966–1969 |
| Roger Brown§ | 2015 | DT | Maryland State | 1956–1959 |
| Richard Dent† | 2015 | DE | Tennessee State | 1979–1982 |
| W. C. Gorden§ | 2015 | HC | Jackson State | 1976–1991 |
| L. C. Greenwood | 2015 | DE | Arkansas AM&N | 1965–1968 |
| Ernie Ladd | 2015 | DT | Grambling State | 1957–1960 |
| Ken Riley† | 2015 | CB | Florida A&M | 1965–1968 |
| Donnie Shell** | 2015 | SS | South Carolina State | 1970–1973 |
| Ken Burrough | 2016 | WR | Texas Southern | 1966–1969 |
| Jethro Pugh | 2016 | DT | Elizabeth City State | 1961–1964 |
| Otis Taylor | 2016 | FL | Prairie View A&M | 1961–1964 |
| Emmitt Thomas† | 2016 | CB | Bishop | 1962–1965 |
| Lloyd C. A. Wells | 2016 | Contributor | N/A | N/A |
| Aeneas Williams† | 2016 | CB, FS | Southern | 1989–1990 |
| Parnell Dickinson | 2017 | QB | Mississippi Valley State | 1972–1975 |
| Harold Jackson | 2017 | WR | Jackson State | 1964–1967 |
| Billy Joe§ | 2017 | HC | Cheyney, Central State, Florida A&M, Miles | 1972–1978, 1981–1993, 1994–2004, 2008–2010 |
| Gary "Big Hands" Johnson§ | 2017 | DT | Grambling State | 1971–1974 |
| Robert Porcher | 2017 | DE | Tennessee State, South Carolina State | 1988–1989, 1990–1991 |
| Isiah Robertson | 2017 | LB | Southern | 1967–1970 |
| Harold Carmichael† | 2018 | WR | Southern | 1967–1970 |
| Raymond Chester | 2018 | TE | Morgan State | 1966–1969 |
| Bill Hayes | 2018 | HC | Winston-Salem State, North Carolina A&T | 1976–1987, 1988–2002 |
| Thomas Henderson | 2018 | LB | Langston | 1971–1974 |
| Leo Lewis§ | 2018 | RB | Lincoln (MO) | 1951–1954 |
| Greg Lloyd | 2018 | LB | Fort Valley State | 1983–1986 |
| Everson Walls | 2018 | CB, S | Grambling State | 1977–1980 |
| Emerson Boozer§ | 2019 | RB | Maryland State | 1962–1965 |
| Hugh Douglas | 2019 | DE | Central State | 1992–1994 |
| Rich Jackson | 2019 | DE | Southern | 1962–1965 |
| Frank Lewis | 2019 | WR | Grambling State | 1967–1970 |
| Ace Mumford§ | 2019 | HC | Jarvis Christian, Bishop, Texas College, Southern | 1924–1926, 1927–1929, 1931–1935, 1936–1961 |
| Timmy Newsome | 2019 | RB | Winston-Salem State | 1976–1979 |
| John Taylor | 2019 | WR | Delaware State | 1983–1985 |
| Earl "Air" Harvey | 2020 | QB | North Carolina Central | 1985–1988 |
| James Hunter | 2020 | CB | Grambling State | 1972–1975 |
| Robert Mathis | 2020 | DE | Alabama A&M | 1999–2002 |
| Joe Taylor§ | 2020 | HC | Howard, Virginia Union, Hampton, Florida A&M | 1983, 1984–1991, 1992–2007, 2008–2012 |
| Dennis Thomas | 2020 | Contributor | N/A | N/A |
| Erik Williams | 2020 | OT | Central State | 1987–1990 |
| Coy Bacon | 2021 | DE, DT | Jackson State | 1962–1966 |
| Willard Bailey | 2021 | HC | Virginia Union, Norfolk State, Saint Paul's (VA), Virginia–Lynchburg | 1971–1983; 1995–2003, 1984–1992, 2005–2010, 2011–2013 |
| Greg Coleman | 2021 | P | Florida A&M | 1972–1975 |
| Jimmie Giles | 2021 | TE | Alcorn State | 1973–1976 |
| Winston Hill† | 2021 | OT, DT | Texas Southern | 1959–1962 |
| Roynell Young | 2021 | S, CB | Alcorn State | 1977–1979 |
| Ben Coates | 2022 | TE | Livingstone College | 1987–1990 |
| Donald Driver | 2022 | WR | Alcorn State | 1995–1998 |
| John "Big Train" Moody | 2022 | RB | Morris Brown College | 1939–1941 |
| Nate Newton | 2022 | OL | Florida A&M | 1979–1982 |
| Sammy White | 2022 | WR | Grambling State | 1972–1975 |
| Roscoe Nance | 2022 | Contributor | N/A | N/A |
| Billy Nicks§ | 2022 | Coach | Morris Brown College, Prairie View A&M | 1930–1965 |
| Leslie Frazier | 2023 | DB | Alcorn State | 1977–1980 |
| Henry Lawrence | 2023 | OT | Florida A&M | 1970–1973 |
| Albert Lewis | 2023 | CB | Grambling State | 1979–1982 |
| Jim Marsalis | 2023 | CB | Tennessee State | 1965–1968 |
| Tyrone McGriff§ | 2023 | OL | Florida A&M | 1976–1979 |
| Elijah Pitts | 2023 | HB | Philander Smith College | 1957–1960 |
| Pete Richardson | 2023 | Coach | Southern, Winston-Salem State | 1988–2009 |
| Johnnie Walton | 2023 | QB | Elizabeth City State | 1965–1968 |
| Joe "747" Adams | 2024 | QB | Tennessee State | 1977–1980 |
| Antoine Bethea | 2024 | S | Howard | 2002–2005 |
| Waymond Bryant | 2024 | LB | Tennessee State | 1970–1973 |
| Kevin Dent§ | 2024 | S | Jackson State | 1985–1988 |
| Richard Huntley | 2024 | RB | Winston-Salem State | 1992–1995 |
| Lemar Parrish | 2024 | CB | Lincoln | 1966–1969 |
| Eddie Hurt | 2024 | Coach | Morgan State | 1929–1959 |
Source:

## Inductees by school

| College | Number |
| Grambling State | 15 |
| Florida A&M | 10 |
| Jackson State | 10 |
| Tennessee State | 10 |
| Southern | 8 |
| Alcorn State | 6 |
| Morgan State | 6 |
| South Carolina State | 5 |
| Maryland State | 4 |
| Mississippi Valley State | 4 |
| Prairie View A&M | 4 |
| Winston-Salem State | 4 |
| Central State | 3 |
| Howard | 3 |
| Texas Southern | 3 |
| Alabama A&M | 2 |
| Bishop | 2 |
| Elizabeth City State | 2 |
| Fort Valley State | 2 |
| Lincoln (MO) | 2 |
| Morris Brown | 2 |
| North Carolina A&T | 2 |
| North Carolina Central | 2 |
| Tuskegee | 2 |
| Virginia Union | 2 |
| Alabama State | 1 |
| Arkansas–Pine Bluff | 1 |
| Bethune–Cookman | 1 |
| Cheyney | 1 |
| Hampton | 1 |
| Jarvis Christian | 1 |
| Kentucky State | 1 |
| Langston | 1 |
| Livingstone | 1 |
| Miles | 1 |
| Norfolk State | 1 |
| Philander Smith | 1 |
| Saint Paul's (VA) | 1 |
| Savannah State | 1 |
| Texas College | 1 |
| Virginia–Lynchburg | 1 |