Thanks to a technicality, the National Football Foundation says Georgia tailback Nick Chubb isn’t eligible to be in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Since 2014, Georgia running back Nick Chubb has captured the attention of the entire nation, not only with his incredible talent on the field, but with his exemplary character and unbreakable determination.
The soon-to-be Georgia legend has overcome a landslide of obstacles on his way to an amazing career between the hedges, including an injury that would have put most football players on the shelf permanently.
However, last week it was reported that according to the National Football Foundation (the not for profit organization who essentially runs the Hall of Fame), the man who is second only to demigod Herschel Walker‘s record for rushing yards at Georgia isn’t an eligible candidate for the College Football Hall of Fame (housed just 90 minutes west of Athens, Georgia in downtown Atlanta).
Why? Because due to some mitigating circumstances during his college career, Nick Chubb was never elected as a First-Team All-American.
Georgia Bulldogs Football
Gasp!! Perish the thought! A member of the College Football Hall of Fame who wasn’t picked in a sportswriters popularity contest? How awful. Right?
I said, am I right?
*crickets*
If only the National Baseball Hall of Fame held such strict and easy-to-decipher measurables.
Would having a model citizen and sure-fire first NFL draft pick in the Hall of Fame serve as some sort of embarrassment to NFF Chairman Archie Manning and his merry band of jesters? Does “First-Team All-American” really carry that much weight anymore?
No. The truth of the matter is, the NFF is doing their best imitation of the NCAA by displaying their penchant for overreaching and keeping college athletes from being celebrated for their achievements.
What are Chubb’s achievements and credentials?
Nick Chubb is second all-time in the SEC in rushing yardage, and third all-time in the SEC in yards per carry.
You say being good in the SEC isn’t enough? Well, how about this –
Rushing yards: 4,769 – 39th all-time in NCAA history
Yards per carry: 6.3 – 99th all-time in NCAA history
Rushing touchdowns: 44 – Tied for 90th all-time in NCAA history
All-Purpose Yards: 5,130 – 68th all-time in NCAA history
Chubb is in the top 100 in every major category for a running back in the history of the NCAA, and he did this while spending his entire career sharing carries with two other top backs, Todd Gurley and Sony Michel.
Oh yeah, and he missed half of his sophomore season with one of the most chilling knee injuries ever caught on camera, and still managed to return to rush for over 1,000 yards the following season.
It’s time for the National Football Foundation and the keepers of the College Football Hall of Fame to kick rocks, and withdraw this meaningless rule which wasn’t even instated until 1990 (and yes, that means other players such as Fran Tarkenton and NFF chairman Archie Manning are in the HOF, despite never achieving that all-important First-Team All-American status).
I’d be willing to bet most voters couldn’t tell you exactly who they voted First-Team All-American over the past four years, but they can certainly tell you in glowing fashion how incredible Nick Chubb has been.
And yes, this matters. It matters as much as baseball writers blockading the Hall of Fame path for those suspected of steroid use. The College Football Hall of Fame boasts showcasing “the best of the best” stating on the front page of their website:
"“Only 0.02% of college football’s players and coaches can claim the honor of being named into the Hall of Fame. Meet the elite few who made the cut. These “0.02%-ers” have endured the blood, sweat and tears it takes to go from college greats to legendary sportsmen.”"
I guess the blood, sweat and tears shed by Nick Chubb are now meaningless in the annals of college football history.
Next: Greatest CFB Running Backs of All Time
Shame on you — Archie Manning and other National Football Foundation board members — you have tainted the very spirit of what the Hall of Fame should be about by attaching a condition of a flawed poll for inclusion.