College Football Hall of Fame FanFest 2008

No one ever wants it to rain on their parade, but as far as the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2008 was concerned, they didn΄t seem to mind. Thousands of people lined the streets of downtown South Bend, Indiana, on Saturday morning, July 19, including my son, Aaron, and I, to see the enshrinees during the annual Grand Parade. I have been to the Hall several times over the years, but this was the first time that I had ever been there during the Enshrinement Weekend.

Along with the 20 Hall of Fame inductees this year, there were about 100 entrants in the Grand Parade including high school marching bands, floats, local politicians, Pop Warner football teams and even Miss Dowagiac (Michigan) and her Court. At one point during the parade, football players from John Adams High School in South Bend came by passing out schedules for their varsity football team. Penn State head coach Joe Paterno was not in attendance at the parade, but the parade announcer informed the crowd that he would be at the Hall later in the day.

After the parade, my son and I stood in line under our umbrella waiting to buy wristbands for $5.00 each. This was a great deal! The wristbands gave us access to the FanFest activities on the Gridiron Plaza outside of the Hall, as well as access to the Hall of Fame itself. Normally, an adult admission to the Hall is $9.00 for residents of St. Joseph County (where the Hall is located in Indiana) and $12.00 for non-residents, according to the Hall΄s official web site.

It has been a few years since I have been to the College Football Hall of Fame and I had forgotten what a great place it is to visit. There are interactive exhibits throughout the Hall and many fascinating pictures and memorabilia covering the history and evolution of college football from the late 1800΄s thru today.

The great thing about the Hall is that it recognizes players and coached from all levels of college football, not just NCAA Division I-A, or as it is more politically known today, the Football Bowl Subdivision.

There are also inductees each year from NCAA Division I-AA, Division II and Division III, as well as from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), which is not a part of the NCAA. Players and coaches from all of these divisions are grouped into what is known as the Divisional Class.

At noon, some of the enshrines participated in a flag football game on the 25-yard artificial turf field of the Hall΄s Gridiron Plaza. The star of the game was former Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie, who threw a couple of touchdown passes, intercepted a pass while playing on defense and even tried to re-enact his now-famous drop-kick when he played for the NFL New England Patriots for a conversion. The kick failed, but the crowd loved it!

After watching the flag football game and loading up on souvenirs at the gift shop, we left to return home, but there were more events planned for later that day. There was a youth football clinic for kids 14 and under, an autograph session with the enshrinees ($60 for a ticket to get in) and the Enshrinement Dinner later that evening ($175 per person).

Things actually kicked off the weekend prior to the Enshrinement Weekend with several events around South Bend including the Festival Queen Pageant, a barbeque rib cook off, a car show, a concert featuring Travis Tritt and a golf tournament.

The College Football Hall of Fame may not be as popular a destination as the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, but it is definitely worth visiting at any time during the year. There are extended hours on Saturdays during the fall when the Notre Dame football team is playing at home. The Hall of Fame moved to South Bend in 1995 from its previous home in Cincinnati, Ohio.

(Photo: Former Boston College QB Doug Flutie waves to the crowd during the College Football Hall of Fame's Enshrinement Grand Parade in rainy, downtown South Bend, Indiana on July 19, 2008)

2008 Football Bowl Subdivision (Div I-A) Enshrinement Class

Tom Brahaney – C, Oklahoma, 1970-72

Dave Brown – DB, Michigan, 1972-74 (Deceased)

Jeff Davis – LB, Clemson, 1978-81

Doug Flutie – QB, Boston College, 1981-84

Johnnie Johnson – DB, Texas, 1976-79

Rex Kern – QB, Ohio State, 1968-70

Ahmad Rashad – RB / WR, Oregon, 1969-71

Anthony Thompson – RB, Indiana, 1986-89

Wilson Whitley – DT, Houston, 1973-76 (Deceased)

Reggie Williams – LB, Dartmouth, 1973-75

Richard Wood – LB, Southern Cal, 1972-74

Chris Zorich – DT, Notre Dame, 1988-90

Coaches

Herb Deromedi – Central Michigan (1978- 93) Record: 110-55-10

Joe Paterno –Penn State (1966 – present) Record: 373-125-3

2008 Divisional Class

Jim Ballard – QB, Mount Union (Ohio) (1991-93)

Ronald McKinnon – LB, North Alabama (1992-95)

John Randle – DE, Texas A&M-Kingsville (1988-89)

Brad Rowland – HB, McMurry College (Texas) (1947-50)

Divisional Coaches

W.C. Gorden – Jackson State (1976-91) Record: 119-47-5

Doug Porter – Mississippi Valley State (1961-65), Howard (1974-78), Fort Valley State (Ga.) (1979-85, 1987-96) Record: 166-107-5

LINKS

College Football Hall of Fame Official Web Site