College Football Hall of Fame facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
College Football Hall of Fame

The College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta
Established	August 23, 2014
Location	250 Marietta St. NW Atlanta, Georgia 30313
Type	College sports hall of fame
Visitors	250,000

The College Football Hall of Fame is a special place that celebrates the best players and coaches in American college football. It's also an exciting place to visit with lots of interactive exhibits.

The National Football Foundation (NFF) started the Hall of Fame in 1951. Their goal was to honor college football players and coaches. These were people who were chosen as "first team All-American" by sports reporters.

In August 2014, the Hall of Fame opened in downtown Atlanta. It is a large building, about 94,256 square feet. It is located in a busy area of Atlanta. This area is known for sports, fun, and tourism. It is right next to the Georgia World Congress Center and Centennial Olympic Park.

History of the Hall of Fame

The College Football Hall of Fame has moved a few times over the years. Let's look at where it has been.

Early Plans for the Hall

In 1949, Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, was chosen as the first site. This decision was made by many sportswriters and coaches. Rutgers was picked because the very first college football game was played there. That game was on November 6, 1869, between Rutgers and Princeton.

Later, in 1967, there were still plans for the Hall of Fame to be at Rutgers. Rutgers even gave land near its football stadium. They also offered office space and help with running things.

However, after many years, no building was started. The New Jersey Attorney General began to look into the Hall of Fame's money. Because of this, the National Football Foundation moved its offices to New York City. They kept collecting donations there for several years.

The Hall in Kings Mills

When the New York Attorney General also started an investigation, the foundation moved again. This time, they went to Kings Mills, Ohio, near Cincinnati. A building was finally built there in 1978. It was next to Kings Island, a popular amusement park.

The hope was that visitors to Kings Island would also visit the Hall of Fame. But this did not happen. The Hall had good attendance at first. However, fewer and fewer people visited over time. They had hoped for 300,000 visitors each year. But it only reached 80,000 and then dropped to 30,000. The Kings Mills location closed in 1992.

The Hall in South Bend

The College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana had a new artificial turf field. This location closed in December 2012.

The side entrance of the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend.

A fun blocking activity cage at the South Bend Hall of Fame.

A wall showing helmets from many college football teams.

In September 1991, the National Football Foundation looked for a new home. Many cities offered to host it. South Bend, Indiana, was one of them.

Leaders from South Bend worked hard on a plan. They wanted to bring the Hall of Fame to their city. They suggested building a $14 million facility downtown. On July 13, 1992, it was announced that South Bend had won. They beat out cities like Atlanta and Houston.

The new Hall of Fame opened in South Bend on August 25, 1995. People thought it would attract over 150,000 visitors a year. But it only drew about 115,000 the first year. After that, it was about 60,000 visitors annually.

By the late 1990s, some people felt the South Bend location was not doing well. It didn't get enough company support. Also, not many people came, even for special events. In September 2009, it was announced that the museum would move to Atlanta. The South Bend location closed in December 2012.

The Hall in Atlanta

In 2009, the National Football Foundation decided to move the Hall of Fame to Atlanta, Georgia. Other cities, like Dallas, also wanted it. But Atlanta was chosen as the next location.

The new museum cost $68.5 million. It opened on August 23, 2014. It is located next to Centennial Olympic Park. This area has many other popular attractions. These include the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola.

The new building started being built on January 28, 2013. Parts of the building look like a football. The facility is 94,256 square feet. It has about 50,000 square feet of space for exhibits and events. It even has a 45-yard indoor football field!

In May 2020, the Hall of Fame experienced some damage. Items were also taken from the gift shop during protests. However, no important artifacts or displays were harmed.

Inductees to the Hall of Fame

The College Football Hall of Fame honors many great players and coaches.

Including the class of 2025, there have been 1,111 players and 237 coaches chosen. These people represent 326 different schools. They make up a very small percentage of all college football players and coaches ever. The Goodyear Blimp also received a special honorary induction. This brings the total number of honored members to 1,349.

Players by School

Here is a list of schools with the most players inducted into the Hall of Fame:

How People Are Chosen for Induction

The National Football Foundation has rules for who can be chosen for the Hall of Fame.

• A player must have been named a major first team All-American.
• A player can be considered 10 years after their last year of college football.
• Their football achievements are most important. But what they did after football as a citizen also matters.
• Players must have played their last year of college football within the last 50 years.
• The person nominated must have finished their professional sports career.
• Coaches must have coached for at least 10 years. They must have coached 100 games. They also need a winning percentage of at least .595.

These rules have changed sometimes over the years.

See also

In Spanish: Salón de la Fama del Fútbol Americano Universitario para niños

• Black College Football Hall of Fame