IRVING, Texas — The College Football Hall of Fame Ballot for 2016 has been released by the National Football Foundation, and former New Mexico Lobo Brian Urlacher is on the ballot for the first time. He is one of 76 players and five coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 92 players and 27 coaches from the divisional ranks.
Urlacher had an amazing career with the Lobos from 1996-99. Along with being one of the greatest defensive players in school history, if not the best, Urlacher also found time to catch six touchdown passes and return kicks and punts as well. He recorded 178 tackles during his junior season, a school record. After the 1999 season, he was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, and finished twelfth on the Heisman Trophy ballot. He was a Walter Camp, FWAA and AP All-America selection and played in the Senior Bowl. His jersey number of 44 was retired at halftime on the November 9, 2013 gamea gainst Air Force.
Urlacher than went on to a spectacular career with the Chicago Bears from 2000-2012. He was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection (2000-03, 05-06, 10-11) and four times he was named First Teal All-Pro (2001, 02, 05, 06). He was named Second Team All-Pro in 2010 as well.
He was the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2000 after being the No. 9 overall selection in the 2000 NFL Draft. More important to Urlacher, he was the 2007 recepient of the Brian Piccolo Award, given annually to one rookie and one vetaran of the Chicago Bears who best exemplifies the courage, loyalty, teamwork, dedication and sense of humour of the late running back.
He also was the 2007 recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award, presented to the NFL player (voted by their teammates) who best serve as role models of inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage.
In December 2014, Urlacher participated in the USO Chairman’s Holiday tour, which provided entertainment to US troops in five countries around the world.
The NFF is continuing with its electronic voting system for balloting that it unveiled last year. The ballot was emailed this week to the more than 12,000 NFF members and current Hall of Famers whose votes will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF’s Honors Courts, which deliberate and select the class. The FBS Honors Court, chaired by former ACC Commissioner and NCAA president and NFF Director Emeritus Gene Corrigan, and the Divisional Honors Court, chaired by former Marshall head coach, longtime athletics director and NFF Board Member Jack Lengyel, include an elite and geographically diverse pool of athletic administrators, Hall of Famers and members of the media. “It’s an enormous honor to just be on the ballot when you think that more than 5.06 million people have played college football,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell.
“The Hall’s requirement of being a First-Team All-American creates a much smaller pool of only 1,500 individuals who are even eligible to be on the ballot, so being in today’s elite group means an individual is truly among the greatest to ever have played the game, and we are proud to announce their names. We look forward to announcing the 2016 Hall of Fame Class on the Friday before the College Football Playoff National Championship.”
The announcement of the 2016 Class will be made Friday, Jan. 8, 2016, at the JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, Ariz. The hotel is serving as the official media hotel for the College Football Playoff National Championship, which will be played Jan. 11 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Several of the inductees will be on site at the press conference to represent the class and share their thoughts on the announcement. The Jan. 8 event will be televised live, and more information will be available as the date draws near. Inductees will also participate in the pregame festivities and the coin toss on Jan. 11.