OL Orlando Pace (7-time Pro Bowler, Super Bowl Champion, CFB HOF, NFL HOF)

[BuckeyeNation27]

Is that one of those unwritten rules? Nothing about it on their site.

Eligibility & Criteria

To be eligible for the Hall of Fame players must have been named a First Team All-America by a major/national selector as recognized and utilized by the NCAA for their consensus All-America teams; played their last year of intercollegiate football at least ten years prior; played within the last 50 years and cannot be currently playing professional football. Coaches must have coached a minimum of 10 years and 100 games as a head coach and be retired from coaching for at least three years. If a coach is retired and over the age of 70, there is no waiting period. If he is over the age of 75, he is eligible as an active coach. In both cases, the candidate's post-football record as a citizen may also be weighed.
Once nominated for consideration, all 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, 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 (formerly known as the Honors Review Committee) may make recommendations to Honors Court for exceptions that allow for the induction of players who played more than 50 years ago.

 

[Bucklion]

Has he been gone long enough to be eligible? If he AND Cris Carter both end up getting stonewalled, I just might have to finally hop on the media hates Ohio State bandwagon.

Just answered my own question. Last season was 2009, so he won't be on the ballot until 2015.

Cris Carter in the College HOF? Unlikely after the agent thing. As for Pace in the college HOF, I don't know how he didn't make it either, unless no one gets in on the first ballot or something, I don't know this history of their voting process like I do the pros...but I'm sure it's just as political and subjective.

 

[Bucklion]

Rule is they will not take players from the same school in consecutive years. Eddie went in last year.

Is that one of those unwritten rules? Nothing about it on their site.

Hadn't thought of that, now that someone says it, I believe I remember reading it is one of those "unwritten" things. Needless to say, Pace will get in.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

Cris Carter in the College HOF? Unlikely after the agent thing. As for Pace in the college HOF, I don't know how he didn't make it either, unless no one gets in on the first ballot or something, I don't know this history of their voting process like I do the pros...but I'm sure it's just as political and subjective.

Misread the original post and deleted my response. Reason: stupidity.

 

[Bucklion]

Misread the original post and deleted my response. Reason: stupidity.

No, it's still a hose job on the Pro Hall, and I'm sure Pace will be a few ballots before he gets in there, which will bring this all up again. So not stupidity, just early.

 

[Buckskin86]

2012 Hall of Fame Class - The Big Snubs
By Pete Fiutak
CollegeFootballNews.com

2. Orlando Pace, OT Ohio State (1994-1996)

Uhhhhh, huh?! There's absolutely no excuse for Pace to not have been the easiest call for the voters. If Jonathan Ogden was picked, then Pace should've been a lock. There's John Hannah and Orlando Pace. That's the exclusive club of the greatest offensive linemen in college football history - but if you want to argue for Anthony Munoz or Tony Mandarich, you're probably right.

Pace was among the most decorated players of all-time as the first sophomore to ever win the Lombardi Award and the first two-time winner taking the award again the next year. In that junior season Pace won the Outland Trophy and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Danny Wuerffel, Troy Davis and Jake Plummer. The only reason the term pancake is part of the vernacular now is because of Pace after winning the Lombardi Award twice, the Outland in 1996, and getting the nod as a two-time All-American and key part of the Ohio State puzzle.

http://cfn.scout.com/2/1186613.html

Rule keeps Frazier, Pace out of HOF class
May, 15, 2012
By Brian Bennett | ESPN.com

Had colleague Ivan Maisel not spelled out a little-known rule about the College Football Hall of Fame's induction procedures, there would likely be some righteous outrage in Lincoln, Neb., and Columbus, Ohio, today.

Maisel wrote this morning that the Hall has a rule preventing the selection of players from the same school in back-to-back years. That must have been the only thing keeping Nebraska's Tommie Frazier and Ohio State's Orlando Pace from being elected this year.

Frazier is simply one of the greatest college football players of all time, leading the Cornhuskers to two national titles. Pace is the only player ever to win the Lombardi Award twice as one of the best offensive linemen in the history of the sport.

But Nebraska and Ohio State both had inductees last year in Will Shields and Eddie George, respectively. So it was no dice for Frazier and Pace. What makes no sense, though, is that both players were on the ballot for induction this year, even though they apparently weren't eligible.

cont..

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/50101/rule-keeps-frazier-pace-out-of-hof-class

 

[Bucknut24]

Unless that's a new rule, it's bullshit...USC put a player in from 2001-2005

 

[BayBuck]

That rule is not mentioned in the CFHOF Eligibility & Criteria section, and it is noteworthy that most Google-able references to such a rule references Maisel or ESPN.com as its source.

Going back to 1999, USC actually put in a player every year from 2000-2005, OSU got Tatum and Houston in 04/05, ND went 1999-2001 (with 2 old-timers), Michigan went 2000-02 and 04-05, Alabama 99-00, Georgia 99-01, Penn State 04-05, Oklahoma 99-01 and 04-05 (also 07-08 if you include Aikman), Pitt 99-00 and 02-03, Texas 99-00, Stanford 05-06.

 

[jlb1705]

First of all, the College Football HOF is about as useful as the Rock N Roll HOF.

Second of all, this rule reeks of the same kind of committee-led, please everybody mentality that leads to things like Big Ten trophies being named for guys who went to Iowa or Indiana, minor teams being called "mid-majors" and BTN shows including historical Penn State and Nebraska items so that nobody feels left out.

 

[Buckskin86]

one of the coaches at FNL...

http://insider.espn.go.com/colleges...lights-notebook-dennis-finley-chills-columbus

 

[Buckskin86]

Former coach hasn't left the 'Shoe
Cooper supplies Buckeyes scoop on rival team's players
BY DAVID BRIGGS
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

The opinion of John Cooper, who was 111-43-4 in 13 seasons at OSU, ending in 2000, is still valued inside the athletic offices. The opinion of John Cooper, who was 111-43-4 in 13 seasons at OSU, ending in 2000, is still valued inside the athletic offices. ASSOCIATED PRESS

COLUMBUS ? After teaching his 7:30 a.m. class Monday, the instructor met with one of his aides.

It was time for Urban F. Meyer ? as he is listed in the course catalog for EDUPAES 2620.04: Coaching Football ? to begin his day job: preparing Ohio State for California. With the students gone, Meyer asked his guest lecturer for a list of the next opponent's top prospects.

"Every week, I ask him, ?Who are their NFL players?'?" Meyer said.

This week, John Cooper slipped the coach a piece of paper with about a half-dozen names, including Golden Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen ? a projected top-10 pick in next year's draft ? cornerback Marc Anthony, and defensive tackle Aaron Tipoti.

Meet the Buckeyes' unofficial advance scout.

Remember Coop? He hasn't left the building.

The former OSU coach has an office in the Buckeyes' football facility, where he enjoys an unusual symbiotic relationship with Meyer and his staff.

Meyer allows the 75-year-old Cooper, a scouting consultant for the Cincinnati Bengals, to come and go as he pleases.

Cooper gathers information for his job, and in turn, he helps Meyer teach his Monday and Wednesday class and offers insight from his NFL connections on the Buckeyes' upcoming challengers.

"What the heck, if I can help him out in any way I can, whether I've seen a team play or heard about a player, obviously I'm a loyal Buckeye," Cooper said Tuesday in a phone interview. "I'm going to do all I can."

Cooper, who was 111?43?4 in 13 seasons at OSU, is more a dyed-in-the-wool football man than a scout. The coach said he "forms opinions on players in my mind," which precludes written reports and fuse-burning study. When organizers of the Legends Poll for which Cooper is a voter send him a copy of every televised game from the past week, he does not bid farewell to his wife.

"I'm not going to lie to you, I don't spend a lot of time doing that," he said. "I don't watch a lot of these games on TV."

cont...

http://www.toledoblade.com/Ohio-State/2012/09/12/Former-coach-hasn-t-left-the-Shoe-1.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Ohio State football: Cooper named to Rose Bowl hall
By Tim May
The Columbus Dispatch Monday December 3, 2012

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
Former Ohio State coach John Cooper led both a Big Ten team and a Pac-12 team to victory in the Rose Bowl.

Former Ohio State coach John Cooper has long been the answer to a trivia question about the Rose Bowl. Now he?s going to be a credentialed part of its history, gaining induction this year into its hall of fame.

?It?s a great honor to go into that hall of fame, I?m telling you, because as a coach it means you are representing a couple of great teams who made it happen,? Cooper said yesterday. ?I?m looking forward to it.?

He was the head coach in only two Rose Bowls, but he made the most of it, guiding Arizona State to a win over Michigan after the 1986 season and leading Ohio State to victory over Arizona State after the 1996 season. Thus his Rose Bowl trivia niche: He is the only coach to take both a Pac-12 team and a Big Ten team to wins.

?I am proud of that,? Cooper said. ?I have been fortunate to be involved in four Rose Bowls, two as an assistant coach (at Oregon State and UCLA under coach Tommy Prothro) and two as the head coach. It doesn?t get any better than the Rose Bowl ? that?s the granddaddy of them all, the best bowl game, I think, you can go to.?

cont...

http://buckeyextra.dispatch.com/content/stories/2012/12/03/cooper-named-to-rose-bowl-hall.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Candidate for College Football Hall of Fame

 

[Buckskin86]

John Cooper is the second-winningest coach in Ohio State football history, and he has been inducted into five halls of fame ? though not OSU?s ?Varsity O? hall.

There are five former Buckeyes football coaches to earn that honor, including Woody Hayes, the winningest coach; Paul Brown, the first to lead Ohio State to a national title; John Wilce, who oversaw the rise of the program to national prominence; and Earle Bruce, who won 81 games in nine seasons after replacing Hayes. Wes Fesler also is in, but that was more for his exploits as an All-America player than for his four-year run as a coach.

Cooper has yet to be invited despite going 111-43-4 in his 13 seasons. While Cooper is infamous for his 2-10-1 record against Michigan, his 3-8 bowl record and his failure to win a national title, his teams were in the running almost yearly from 1993 to ?98.

His record at Ohio State, Tulsa and Arizona State was enough to gain him induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008. As the only coach to lead teams from both the Pac-12 and Big Ten to Rose Bowl wins, he was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame this past year. He?s also in the halls of fame at Tulsa and Knoxville, Tenn.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2013/04/05/mason-could-find-home-in-philadelphia.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Orlando Pace- St. Louis TV interview 4 21 13

2013 NFL Draft: Orlando Pace will announce the Rams' day 2 picks
By Tevin Broner on Apr 17 2013

The NFL Draft happens in a week, and in the 2nd and 3rd rounds future Orlando Pace will be on TV to announce the picks.

Recently the NFL started a tradition for the NFL Draft., and I'm not talking about the annual booing of Commissioner Rodger Goddell. I'm talking about bringing retired legends of NFL teams to announce the draft picks for the second day of the draft.

This year the St. Louis Rams representative will be future Hall of Famer Orlando Pace. Pace was the cornerstone on the Rams offensive line for years after he was drafted in 1997, first overall. Obviously, he was the last great left tackle to play for the Rams (Jake Long hasn't played yet). Honestly, it seems like a long time since Pace retired huh? I guess the disappointment of drafting Jason Smith in the first round the year Pace was released, helped us forget, but it's only been three years since Pace retired.

http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2013/4...will-announce-the-rams-second-day-draft-picks