Black College Football Hall of Fame to be opened in Atlanta

Former NFL quarterbacks Doug Williams and James “Shack” Harris announced plans Friday to form a Black College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, with the first inductees to be enshrined in early 2010.

Williams, a Super Bowl MVP and Grambling State University graduate, said the vision of the hall of fame is to “preserve the legacy and history of historically black colleges and universities.”

Atlanta was the natural pick to house the hall of fame, he said. “You can make one big circle [around Atlanta] and hit all the historical black colleges.”

The first enshrinement of eight inductees is scheduled for Feb. 20, 2010 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Atlanta, in conjunction with Black History Month.

The Four Seasons is the first sponsor for the organization, Williams said, at an Oct. 9 press conference held at the Midtown hotel.

Harris, a Pro Bowl MVP and fellow Grambling State grad, and Williams have been talking about a hall of fame for years, they said.

“Without Williams and Harris, this idea doesn’t exist,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president and CEO.

The hall of fame initially will operate as a traveling exhibit in Atlanta “and we also will explore the possibility of finding a permanent home,” Williams said.

Stokan said news of the Black College Football Hall of Fame came just weeks after Atlanta won exclusive rights to negotiate for the College Football Hall of Fame, now housed in South Bend, Ind.

The Black College Football Hall of Fame may find a temporary home at the College Football Hall of Fame when it comes to Atlanta, Stokan said.

“This has a lot of potential synergies,” he said. Atlanta’s College Football Hall of Fame plans call for recognition of the black colleges’ contributions to the game, he said.

“This gives us another platform for all college fans, and for black college football fans,” Stokan said. Having input from the Black College Football Hall of Fame will drive attendance to the College Football Hall of Fame and benefit both organizations.

Currently, Black College Football Hall of Fame organizers are unsure of the dollars necessary to launch the hall of fame, nor where any potential permanent home might be, Williams said.

“The most important thing is to move the hall of fame forward,” he said. “That starts today.”

Organizers have formed a selection committee to determine the first hall of fame inductees.

William C. Rhoden, New York Times columnist and author of “Forty Million Dollar Slaves” and “Third and a Mile: The Trials and Triumph of the Black Quarterback,” will serve as chairman of the committee.

Other members are: Ernie Accorsi, former general manager of the New York Giants; Charles Bailey, former NFL player personnel executive for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars; Gil Brandt, former general manager of the Dallas Cowboys; Charles Garcia, NFL scouting pioneer; Michael Hurd, former USA Today sports writer; Ty Miller, director of sports for Sheridan Broadcast Network; Roscoe Nance, former USA Today sports writer; Charlie Neal, ESPN commentator; Michael Smith, ESPN NFL reporter; and Lloyd Vance, NFL writer, analyst, draft expert, researcher and historian.

Every football player who played at black colleges will be a candidate for the hall of fame, Harris said.

“We want to recognize those who are deserving,” he said. “We want to preserve history here. We don’t want to lose that.”

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