Arena Football Hall of Fame

Arena Football Hall of Fame

Established	1998
Website	www.arenafootball.com/hallfame

The Arena Football Hall of Fame is the official Hall of Fame of the Arena Football League (AFL). The inaugural class was announced in 1998 and the Hall was not formally organized until 2011. Prior to 2011, there were four classes: 1998–2000 and then another in 2002. The Arena Football Hall of Fame is the highest honor for players, coaches, and contributors involved in the AFL. The voting process consists of fans and current Hall of Fame members voting on the finalists. The finalists are selected by the League Office in which they collect ballots from the Arena Football Hall of Fame Advisory Board, a group which consisted of former players, executives, journalists and media personnel with a long-time involvement in the league.^[1][2]

Qualifications

In order to be nominated for the Arena Football Hall of Fame, a candidate must meet at least one of four criteria (as of 2015, depending upon whether he is being considered as a player, a coach, or a contributor). A player who has played after the 1989 season must have played a minimum of three seasons. A player must be retired for a minimum of three full seasons. A coach must be active for a minimum of five seasons but does not need to be retired. There is no minimum number of seasons required for contributors, but significant advancement of the AFL is a prerequisite.^[3]

Location

There is currently no physical location for the Arena Football Hall of Fame. Unlike the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which recognizes the greats not only of the NFL but the history of other outdoor pro football leagues, there is not a museum associated with Arena Football, but there is, however, within the Pro Football Hall of Fame a relatively small exhibit that features the history of the Arena Football League.^[4]

Ceremony and Hall of Fame Game

Much like the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Arena Football League has a weekend dedicated to the inductees and during a selected Hall of Fame Game the inductees will partake in a Hall of Fame ceremony. This ceremony takes place prior to the game and will feature highlights as well as speeches from each of the inductees; each of the Hall of Fame Games are aired on CBS Sports Network annually.^[5]

Inductees

The list is complete up to date 2014 Hall of Fame class.

Class of 2015 Finalists:^[10]

• James Baron Offensive Lineman/Defensive Lineman for the Nashville Kats from 1997–2001, 2005–2007 and the Chicago Rush from 2002–2004 and 2008
• Craig Bornemeier Executive
• Siaha Burley Offensive Specialist for the Orlando Predators from 2001–2002, the Los Angeles Avengers from 2003, the Arizona Rattlers from 2004–2005, 2008, 2010, and the Utah Blaze from 2006–2007
• B. J. Cohen Offensive Lineman/Defensive Lineman for the Orlando Predators from 1999–2002, 2008, the Tampa Bay Storm from 2003, the New Orleans VooDoo from 2004–2005, and the Kansas City Brigade from 2006–2007
• Mark Grieb Quarterback for the Anaheim Piranhas from 1997, the Milwaukee Mustangs from 1997, and the San Jose SaberCats from 1999–2008, 2011–2012
• Jay Gruden Head Coach for the Orlando Predators from 1998–2001, 2004–2008. Gruden is already inducted for his playing career and thus would be the first to be inducted twice as the hall is currently configured.
• Kevin Guy Head Coach for the Tennessee Valley Vipers (af2) from 2002–2004, the Rio Grande Valley Dorados (af2) from 2005, and the Arizona Rattlers from 2008–present
• Kenny McEntyre Defensive Specialist for the Orlando Predators from 1998–2006, 2008–2012 and the Kansas City Brigade from 2007
• Steve Papin Offensive Specialist for the San Jose SaberCats from 1997–2001, the New York Dragons from 2002–2003, and the San Diego Riptide (af2) from 2003
• Will Pettis Wide Receiver/Defensive Back for the Pensacola Barracudas (af2) from 2002, the Dallas Desperados from 2003–2008, and the Dallas Vigilantes from 2010

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Joe DeLamielleure was the first Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee to ever play with an Arena Football Team; as an apparent publicity stunt, he played two games for the Charlotte Rage in the 1992 season, seven years after he had retired from professional football.^[11]

Kurt Warner, who played three seasons with the Iowa Barnstormers from 1995 to 1997 and was inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame in 2011, is the first player with substantial arena football experience to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as well as the first to be inducted into both halls. Warner was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

See also

• Pro Football Hall of Fame
• Canadian Football Hall of Fame

References

External links

• Official website