Former Purdue Players Taylor Stubblefield, Larry Burton Part of 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Former Purdue stars Larry Burton and Taylor Stubblefield were part of the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame ballot, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame announced Monday.
The ballot includes 80 former players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision plus an additional 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," NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell said in a release. "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."
Stubblefield, who earned consensus All-American honors in 2004, set the NCAA record for career receptions at 316 by the end of his college career. He was a two-time All-Big Ten selection who led the conference in receptions for three consecutive seasons from 2002-2004.
Burton, who played as a split end for the Boilermakers, was named an All-American as a senior in 1974 while also garnering the honor of Outstanding College Football Athlete of America. He led the team in receiving, registering 28 catches for 702 yards and four touchdowns.
The announcement of the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2023, with specific details expected announced at a later date.
Here are the criteria for Hall of Fame consideration:
- 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.
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.