Former Penn State quarterback Kerry Collins joins D.J. Dozier and Steve Wisniewski on College Football Hall of Fame ballot
The College Football Hall of Fame has 21 members of the Penn State football program enshrined in its hallowed walls in Atlanta. Among them are Jack Ham, John Cappelletti, Lydell Mitchell, Mike Reid, and Curt Warner, not to mention Joe Paterno. Shane Conlan is the most recent inductee to represent the Nittany Lions, receiving the honor in 2014. With a little luck, Penn State could send in another player in this year’s induction class.
The ballot for this year’s College Football Hall of Fame class was released by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday. Among the list of first-year players on the ballot was Kerry Collins, the best quarterback in Penn State history. He joins running back D.J. Dozier and offensive guard Steve Wisniewski on the ballot. Dozier and Wisniewski have been on the ballot for a while now and continue to wait for the voters to back them up.
Collins may have a tough time getting inducted on the first ballot, however. Also appearing on the ballot for the first time is a guy named Peyton Manning. You may have heard of him, and he will be a pretty solid lock to be the star of the class this year. There are some other very worthy names appearing on the ballot for the first time as well, including Marshall Faulk, Tony Gonzalez and Troy Polamalu. If NFL success is taken into account, Collins holds his own but does start to fall down the totem pole in career success in football pretty quickly before even taking into account others already on the ballot from previous years.
Eric Dickerson is still hoping to get in, for example. Colorado running back Rashaan Salaam, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1994 in part because Collins and Ki-Jana Carter split votes, is also on the ballot. I would obviously take Collins over Salaam any day, but the former Buffs tailback does have a Heisman Trophy to his name too. But perhaps one of the best names still continuing to be passed over is Penn State’s own Wisniewski.
Perhaps there is not enough love for offensive linemen, but Wisniewski may be as deserving of induction as any other lineman. After an accomplished college career (as evidenced by his inclusion on the ballot for multiple years), Wisniewski went on to have a stellar NFL career that saw him named to eight Pro Bowls and the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 1990s. The two-time All-American was a key part of the offensive line that was a part of the 1986 national championship team and to this day remains among the best linemen to play for Penn State.
In order to be considered a nominee for the College Football Hall of Fame, a player must have been a First Team All-American by an organization recognized by the NCAA to compile the consensus All-American teams. A player must also have played his final college game at least a full 10 seasons ago and may not be an active player in the NFL. In addition to football achievements, other considerations for induction include good citizenship and carrying the ideals of football in the community, as well as academic honors and performance in the pros, but it all depends on the voters. Members of the NFF and the College Football Hall of Fame members. Top recipients of votes are then reviewed by the NFF’s Honors Courts.
Disclaimer: I am a member of the National Football Foundation with a ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame.
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