Two Oregon football legends have a chance to earn college football's highest honor.
LaMichael James and Haloti Ngata were named to the 2023 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. It is the first time on the ballot for each player.
The ballot, announced Monday morning by the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame, includes 80 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision, as well as 96 players and 33 coaches from the divisional ranks.
The inductees for the 2023 class will be announced in early 2023 and officially inducted on Dec. 5, 2023.
James, who played at Oregon from 2009 to 2011, finished his Oregon career as the program's all-time leading rusher with 5,082 rushing yards. He now ranks second behind Royce Freeman and is also fourth on the Pac-12's all-time rushing list.
The dynamic back was a two-time First-Team All-American and the winner of the Doak Walker Award in 2010, given to the nation's top running back. He finished third in Heisman Trophy voting after leading the nation in rushing yards and touchdowns while leading Oregon to its first appearance in the BCS National Championship Game.
In his final season in Eugene, James smashed his own single-season rushing record with 1,805 yards. He topped off his career with an MVP performance in the Pac-12 title game and a 159-yard performance in Oregon's Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin.
James was selected 61st overall in the 2012 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers and spent four years in the NFL with the 49ers and Miami Dolphins.
Ngata, who played in Eugene from 2002 to 2005, was one of the best defensive players to ever come through Oregon. He was the first Duck to earn the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and was the program's first consensus First-Team All-American in 43 years.
He was a finalist for the Nagurski and Outland trophies after his junior season in 2005. Ngata was selected 12th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, and he enjoyed a 13-year NFL career that saw him help the Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII over James' 49ers. He also earned five Pro Bowl nods and five All-Pro selections.
Oregon has five players and three coaches inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, with the most recent being Mike Bellotti in 2014 and Ahmad Rashad in 2007. Ngata would be the first Oregon defensive player inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Other first-time names on the ballot include quarterbacks Tim Tebow, Alex Smith, and Ryan Leaf.
According to the College Football Hall of Fame, criteria for consideration into the Hall of Fame must include:
- First and foremost, a player must have received First-Team All-America recognition by a selector that is recognized by the NCAA and utilized to comprise its consensus All-America teams.
- A player becomes eligible for consideration by the Foundation’s Honors Courts 10 full seasons after his final year of intercollegiate football played.
- While each nominee’s football achievements in college are of prime consideration, his post-football record as a citizen is also weighed. He must have proven himself worthy as a citizen, carrying the ideals of football forward into his relations with his community. Consideration may also be given for academic honors and whether the candidate earned a college degree.
- Players must have played their last year of intercollegiate football within the last 50 years.* For example, to be eligible for the 2023 ballot, the player must have played his last year in 1973 or thereafter. In addition, players who are playing professionally and coaches who are coaching on the professional level are not eligible until after they retire.
- A coach becomes eligible three full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he is at least 70 years of age. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He must have been a head football coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.
- Nominations may only be submitted by the current athletics director, head coach or sports information director (SID) of a potential candidate's collegiate institution. Nominations may also be submitted by the president/executive director of a dues-paying chapter of the National Football Foundation.
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