Tony Romo among notable names on 2021 ballot for College Football Hall of Fame
Tony Romo could be headed to the Hall of Fame as early as next year. The College Football Hall of Fame, that is.
The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback is among 99 players from the “divisional ranks” listed on the 2021 ballot, released by the Irving-based National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
Before joining the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent, Romo had a standout career at Eastern Illinois. He earned first-team All-America honors and was named the Walter Payton FCS Player of the Year in 2002. He set numerous school records by the end of his career, including passing yards (8,212) and touchdown passes (85).
Romo is not the only former Cowboys player on the ballot. Former offensive tackle Flozell Adams had an All-America career at Michigan State, and defensive back Roy Williams was an All-American at Oklahoma before joining America’s Team.
Other notable players on the ballot include former Texas offensive lineman Dan Neil; Texas defensive tackle Kenneth Sims; Texas Tech running back Byron Hanspard; Texas A&M kicker Tony Franklin; and UT Arlington offensive tackle Bruce Collie.
As far as coaches up for honors, former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops is a headliner for his standout career with the Sooners from 1999-2016. Stoops won the 2000 national championship and led OU to 10 Big 12 titles and a school-record 18 consecutive bowl games. Stoops surprised many when he retired, but returned to coaching last season with the Dallas Renegades of the now-defunct XFL.
Other coaches on the ballot include former Texas Tech coaches Pete Cawthon Sr. (1930-40) and Jim Carlen (1970-74), and longtime Trinity University coach Steve Mohr (1990-2013).
In all, there are 78 players and seven coaches from the FBS on the ballot, and 99 players and 33 coaches from the divisional ranks. For players to be eligible, they must have received first-team All-America honors by an organization the NCAA recognizes and be 10 full seasons removed from their final year of college football. A coach is eligible three full seasons after retirement or immediately after retirement if he is at least 70 years old. In addition, the coach must have been a head coach for at least 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.
The class will be announced in early 2021 with induction ceremonies taking place at the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 7, 2021 in New York.
This story was originally published June 16, 2020 at 4:40 PM.
