Former Oregon stars LaMichael James and Haloti Ngata on 2023 College Football Hall of Fame ballot
The National Football Foundation announced the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame ballot Monday morning and it had a couple of former Oregon Ducks on the list.
Among the 96 players and 33 coaches nominated were former Oregon stars LaMichael James and Haloti Ngata.
“It’s an enormous honor to just be on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot considering more than 5.54 million people have played college football and only 1,056 players have been inducted,” NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell said in a statement. “The Hall’s requirement of being a First-Team All-American creates a much smaller pool of about 1,500 individuals who are even eligible. Being in today’s elite group means an individual is truly among the greatest to have ever played the game.”
During his time at Oregon, James was a two-time First Team All-American (unanimous in 2010) and the 2010 Doak Walker Award winner. He also was a two-time First Team All-Pac-10 selection and finished third in 2010 Heisman voting with a nation-leading 1,731 rushing yards. James helped lead the Ducks to two 12-win seasons, three Pac-10 conference championships and a 2011 BCS National Championship appearance.
A 2005 consensus First Team All-American, Ngata was the Ducks’ first consensus player since 1962. He was also a two-time All-Pac-10 selection and first player in Oregon history to be named Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year (2005). Ngata was a 2005 finalist for the Nagurski and Outland trophies and 2002 Freshman All-American.
To be eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame, players must have received first-team All-America recognition, be 10 years removed from their final college football season and have completed their NFL or professional football career. The evaluation also includes candidates’ records as a citizen and academic honors.
The announcement of the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2023, with specific details to be announced later in the future. The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 65th National Football Foundation Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 5, 2023, and permanently immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
Contact Register-Guard sportswriter Antwan Staley at astaley@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @antwanstaley.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Former Oregon stars James, Ngata on 2023 College Football Hall of Fame ballot
