There are so many benefits that come with being a Hall of Famer, and those include lots of endorsements and enhanced memorabilia on their status in the Hall of Fame. Being an NFL hall of fame member is a prestigious status that every NFL player aspire to get to; it involves putting in lots of hard work on and off the pitch. Contrary to the opinion that only players’ exploits on the NFL pitch are recognized, it takes exploits on and off the NFL field to become a Hall of Famer.
So, Do NFL Hall of Famers Get Paid?
Hall of Famers don’t receive any money just for being inducted, but they can receive endorsements and other benefits.
Who Chooses New Hall Of Fame Members?
There is a 46-member committee that is charged with the responsibility to appoint new members into the Hall of fame. There is a list of the members alongside the selection process.
The selection committee for the Hall of fame often includes at least a professional member of the media from each geographical region where FL franchises are located. If a geographical region has more than one franchise- for instance, New York City, a selector will be appointed from each franchise. There is a member referred to as the 33rd member who is often a representative of the Football Writers Association for professional football.
The Hall of fame selection committee often meets at least once a year, especially around the time of the super bowl. This selection committee elects new members into the Hall of fame during this annual meeting. There are no set limits to the number of potential enshrinees or potential new Hall of Famers, but the current rule stipulates that between 4 and 8 new Hall of Famers will be selected each year.
Each candidate for the Hall of fame will be scrutinized and must achieve at least 80% approval of the committee before they are elected.
How The Enshrinees Or Hall Of Famers Are Elected
Fans can nominate players of their choice for the Hall of fame. Also, coaches and writer contributors can also nominate players for the Hall of fame. There are a few restrictions to the nomination process, only retired players and coaches are allowed to nominate new Hall of Famers. Not only should these people be retired, but they must also have done so at least 5 years prior to the nomination process.
There are no mandatory retirement requirements for writers and contributors to nominate players. The committee will conduct three polls each year before the final Preliminary Nominee lists are finalized. The lists are compiled and then sent to the selection committee before the first day of March of the election year.
The provision of the lists will allow the selectors to study it and may request the addition of candidates that have been overlooked or accept the lists as they are.
Attention is focused on first-timers on the list who have demonstrated great credentials to become Hall of Famers. The lists will also include players nominated by other persons outside of the committee. Potential candidates must receive at least 4 votes in the balloting, and these are included in the final lists.
A second preliminary list is sent to the collectors in September, and this includes all names on the previous nominee list and the additional nominations from the committee. The third list of the eligible Hall of Famers is sent in October, and this is where the modern-era semi-final list is compiled. There will be a vote for 25 modern-era semi-finalists from the third list.
The final 25 candidates for the Hall of fame are distributed to the selection committee in November, and from this, the final 15 candidates are selected. The seniors’ committee is allowed to add 3 more candidates to the list. The detailed biographies of the final 18 candidates are provided to selectors before the February meeting.
At the annual meeting, each nominee on the 18-man list will be thoroughly discussed just before some reduction votes are conducted. Any candidate that does not receive up to 80% affirmative vote will be removed from the list. The purpose of the list is to reduce the number of candidates to 15 or 10.
Following the reduction of the nominees to 10 or 15, there is another vote to reduce the names from 10-15 to 5The final 5 candidates will finally be voted for as Yes or No! To get the final nod to become a Hall of Famer, a candidate must receive an 80% vote in the final committee meeting.
The Procedure For Choosing Senior And Contributor Candidates
The senior and contributor committee comprises 9 veteran members who are part of the general selection committee. One of the duties of the senior and contributor committee is to ensure veterans who have completed their professional careers within the last 25 years and those who contributed to the game in diverse ways other than coaching and playing have a say in the Hall of fame committee.
Just like the full Hall of the fame selection committee, the members of the senior committee will also receive lit of potential Hall of Famers. The list sent to the senior committee must include the carry-over nominations from the previous year and must be sent in June.
Number Of Hall Of Famers Per Position Till Date
From records, it is clear that the Offensive Linebacker position has most of the Hall of Famers in history. The following is a breakdown of the number of Hall of Famers to date per NFL team position.
1. Quarter Backs and Receivers (RB and QB)
From records, there have been 24 RBs and QBs in history, elected into the NFL hall of fame, with Earl Lambeau elected into the Hall of fame as a player and coach between 1919 and 1929. Some notable QBs and RBs elected into the Hall of fame include; Ken Strong, Jim Thorpe, Arnie Herber, Toney Canadeo, Earl Clark, and Cliff Battles.
2. The Running Back (HB/FB)
Since its inception, there has been a total of 32 HB/FB players and coaches inducted into the NFL hall of fame. There has been no HB/FB elected into the Hall of fame as a player and coach. Some notable players in this category who have been elected into the Hall of fame are; Marion Motley, John Riggins, Paul Hornung, and Frank Gifford.
3. Quarter Back (QB)
There has been a total of 26 quarterbacks elected into the NFL hall of fame; hence this is one of the NFL positions with the fewest number of Hall of Famers. There is no one elected into the Hall of fame in this category as a player and coach. Some notable quarterbacks elected into the Hall of fame in this category are; George Blanda, Norm Van Brocklin, and Bob Waterfield.
4. Defensive End
The defensive End position has one of the lowest numbers of players elected into the NFL hall of fame, with just 7 players elected in history. Despite having just 7 players elected into the NFL hall of fame, this category has a record number of those elected into the Hall of fame as players and coaches. Guy Chamberlin, Rya Flaherty, and George Halas were elected into the NFL hall of fame as players and coaches at different times.
5. Wide Receiver
Twenty-nine wide receivers have been elected into the NFL hall of fame since inception, with no player ever elected as a coach. Some notable wide receivers that have become Hall of Famers are; Charley Taylor, Calvin Johnson, Andre Reed, and Randy Moss.
6. Tight Ender (TE)
After the defensive end position, the tight end position was the next number of fewer Hall of Famers with a total of 9. There is no player elected into the Hall of fame as a player and coach in this position also. Some of the most recent Hall of Famers for this position are; Shannon Sharpe, Tony Gonzalez, and Ozzie Newsome.
7. Upback
The Upback position also has very few Hall of Famers, with just 16 players elected. Steve Owen was the only player elected into the Hall of fame as a player and coach in this category. Other notable Hall of Famers in this category are; William Roy Lyman, Robert Hubbard, and George Trafton.
8. Outside Linebacker, Kicker, Defensive Line, Linebackers, Defensive Backer, Punter, and Holder
The Holder (HC) position has witnessed the election of 26 players into the NFL hall of fame since its inception. There have been 6 individuals elected into the Hall of fame as players and coaches in this category.
There has been only one Punter by the name of Ray Guy elected into the Hall of fame. Thirty-six defensive backers (DB) have been elected into the Hall of fame history, while 31 linebackers have been elected. Thirty-eight defensive Liners have been elected into the Hall of fame, and 4 kickers have also been elected. Forty-eight outside linebackers have been elected into the Hall of fame, with no player elected as both player and coach.
