IRVING, Texas — The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced earlier this week that former Southwest Minnesota State University quarterback Jeff Loots, is listed on the ballot for a second straight year for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. The ballot includes 80 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 96 players and 33 coaches from the divisional ranks.

“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,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “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, and we look forward to announcing the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class early next year.”

The announcement of the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2023, with specific details to be announced in the future. The 2023 voting deadline is June 30. If you would like to become a member and receive this year’s ballot, please contact NFF Director of Membership Ron Dilatush at rdilatush@footballfoundation.com.

Loots played at SMSU from 1990-92 and closed his career as one of the most prolific quarterbacks in school history. A native of St. Paul, Minn., Loots was a three-year letter winner and finished his career completing 703 of 1,224 pass attempts for 10,116 yards and 102 touchdowns. He still ranks first in school history for touchdown passes, average yards per completion (14.4), passing yards per game (361.3) and total offense per game (350.2).

Loots was a first team NAIA All-American and second team AP Little All-American in 1992, was named second team NAIA All-American in 1991 and was an NAIA honorable mention All-American in 1990. A three-time first team all-conference quarterback, Loots was named the Northern Intercollegiate Conference most valuable player in both 1990 and 1992, becoming the first player in conference history to earn the award twice.

Loots had one of the best seasons a quarterback could have during the 1991 season. He led SMSU to a 9-1 record, the best in school history, completing 272 of 464 passes for 4,111 yards, 50 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. He threw five or more touchdowns in six games while also passing for more than 330 yards in eight games.

In 1990, he helped lead SMSU to the program’s only conference championship while also leading the squad to the NAIA national playoffs before losing in the first round to Carson-Newman (Tenn.).

During his senior season in 1992, Loots passed for 2,927 yards and 29 touchdowns in the first seven games before suffering a career-ending injury in week eight.

Following his collegiate career, he played in the Arena Football League for eight seasons and was a member of two Arena Football League championship teams.

Loots was inducted into the SMSU Athletics Hall of Honor in 2007 and the NSIC Hall of Fame in 2009.

The ballot was emailed on June 6 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 Court, which will deliberate and select the class. The Honors Court, chaired by NFF Board Member and College Football Hall of Famer Archie Griffin from Ohio State, includes an elite and geographically diverse pool of athletic administrators, Hall of Famers and members of the media.

“Having a ballot and a voice in the selection of the College Football Hall of Fame inductees is one of the most cherished NFF member benefits,” said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, a 1989 Hall of Fame inductee from Mississippi. “There is no group more knowledgeable or passionate about college football than our membership, and the tradition of the ballot helps us engage them in the lofty responsibility of selecting those who have reached the pinnacle of achievement in our sport.”

The criteria for Hall of Fame consideration include:

• First and foremost, a player must have received First-Team All-America recognition by a selector that is recognized by the NCAA and utilized to comprise its consensus All-America teams.

• A player becomes eligible for consideration by the Foundation’s Honors Courts 10 full seasons after his final year of intercollegiate football played.

• While each nominee’s football achievements in college are of prime consideration, his post-football record as a citizen is also weighed. He must have proven himself worthy as a citizen, carrying the ideals of football forward into his relations with his community. Consideration may also be given for academic honors and whether the candidate earned a college degree.

• Players must have played their last year of intercollegiate football within the last 50 years. *For example, to be eligible for the 2023 ballot, the player must have played his last year in 1973 or thereafter. In addition, players who are playing professionally and coaches who are coaching on the professional level are not eligible until after they retire.

• A coach becomes eligible three full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided, he is at least 70 years of age. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He must have been a head football coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.

•Nominations may only be submitted by the current athletics director, head coach or sports information director (SID) of a potential candidate’s collegiate institution. Nominations may also be submitted by the president/executive director of a dues-paying chapter of the National Football Foundation.

*Players who do not comply with the 50-year rule may still be eligible for consideration by the Football Bowl Subdivision and Divisional Veterans Committees. Veterans Committee candidates must still meet First Team All-America requirement.

Once nominated for consideration, all FBS player candidates are submitted to one of eight District Screening Committees, depending on their school’s geographic location, which conducts a vote to determine who will appear on the ballot and represent their respective districts. Each year, approximately 15 candidates, who are not selected for the Hall of Fame but received significant votes in the final selection, will be named automatic holdovers and will bypass the district screening process and automatically appear on the ballot the following year. Additionally, the Veterans Committee may make recommendations to the Honors Court for exceptions that allow for the induction of players who played more than 50 years ago. The Honors Court annually reviews the Hall of Fame criteria to ensure a fair and streamlined process.

Of the 5.54 million individuals who have played college football since Princeton first battled Rutgers on Nov. 6, 1869, only 1,056 players have earned induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, or less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of those who have played the game during the past 152 years. From the coaching ranks, 226 individuals have achieved Hall of Fame distinction.

About The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame

Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl “Red” Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters and 12,000 members nationwide, NFF programs include the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Future for Football, The William V. Campbell Trophy®, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Goodyear, Jostens, the New York Athletic Club, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.

— Content courtesy

of SMSU Athletic

Communications