Arena Football Hall of Fame

About

The Arena Football Hall of Fame was the official Hall of Fame of the Arena Football League (AFL). The inaugural class was announced in 1998 and the Hall was not formally organized until 2011. Prior to 2011, there were four classes: 1998–2000 and then another in 2002. The voting process consisted of fans and current Hall of Fame members voting on the finalists. The finalists were selected by the League Office in which they collected ballots from the Arena Football Hall of Fame Advisory Board, a group which consisted of former players, executives, journalists and media personnel with a long-time involvement in the league. After its decline in 2015, the hall stopped inducting new classes. The league folded for a second time in 2019. However, after the league's closure, ArenaFan, a long-running fan site, announced it had taken over operations of the Arena Football Hall of Fame. In order to be nominated for the Arena Football Hall of Fame, a candidate must have met at least one of four criteria (as of 2015, depending upon whether he is being considered as a player, a coach, or a contributor). A player who had played after the 1989 season must have played a minimum of three seasons. A player had to be retired for a minimum of three full seasons. A coach must have been active for a minimum of five seasons but does not need to be retired. There was no minimum number of seasons required for contributors but rather contribution to the significant advancement of the AFL in general. Even before ArenaFan's takeover, there was no physical location for the Arena Football Hall of Fame. However, within the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a small exhibit features the history of the Arena Football League. Much like the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Arena Football League had a weekend dedicated to the inductees and during a selected Hall of Fame Game the inductees would partake in a Hall of Fame ceremony. The ceremony took place prior to the game and would feature highlights as well as speeches from each of the inductees. In later years, Hall of Fame Games were aired on CBS Sports Network prior to the termination of the league's agreement with CBSN following the 2018 season. The list is complete up to date with the 2014 Hall of Fame class. James Baron: Offensive lineman/Defensive lineman for the Nashville Kats from 1997 to 2001 and 2005 to 2007, and the Chicago Rush from 2002 to 2004 and 2008 Craig Bornemeier: Executive Siaha Burley: Offensive Specialist for the Orlando Predators from 2001 to 2002, the Los Angeles Avengers from 2003, the Arizona Rattlers from 2004 to 2005, 2008, and 2010, and the Utah Blaze from 2006 to 2007 B. J. Cohen: Offensive lineman/Defensive lineman for the Orlando Predators from 1999 to 2002 and 2008, the Tampa Bay Storm from 2003, the New Orleans VooDoo from 2004 to 2005, and the Kansas City Brigade from 2006 to 2007 Mark Grieb: Quarterback for the Anaheim Piranhas from 1997, the Milwaukee Mustangs from 1997, and the San Jose SaberCats from 1999 to 2008 and 2011 to 2012 Jay Gruden: Head coach for the Orlando Predators from 1998 to 2001 and 2004 to 2008. Gruden is already inducted for his playing career and thus would be the first to be inducted twice as the hall is currently configured. Kevin Guy: Head coach for the Tennessee Valley Vipers (AF2) from 2002 to 2004, the Rio Grande Valley Dorados (AF2) from 2005, and the Arizona Rattlers from 2008–present Kenny McEntyre: Defensive Specialist for the Orlando Predators from 1998 to 2006 and 2008 to 2012, and the Kansas City Brigade from 2007 Steve Papin: Offensive Specialist for the San Jose SaberCats from 1997 to 2001, the New York Dragons from 2002 to 2003, and the San Diego Riptide (AF2) from 2003 Will Pettis: Wide receiver/Defensive back for the Pensacola Barracudas (AF2) fr

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