NORFOLK, Va.– Alcorn State’s Dr. Dennis E. Thomas is listed on the players’ ballot for the 2022 class of the College Football Hall of Fame, which was released to voterS.
As an offensive lineman at Alcorn State, Thomas was a two-time Pittsburgh Courier All-American (1972, 1973), and he was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Offensive Player of the Year in 1973 – the first and only offensive lineman to win the award.

Thomas was a member of the Braves’ 1970 SWAC championship team, and his teams went a combined 27-8-1.

The 2022 College Football Hall of Fame ballot was emailed Wednesday to the more than 12,000 National Football Foundation (NFF) members and current Hall of Famers whose votes will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF’s Honors Courts, which will deliberate and select the class. Membership voting runs through Friday, June 25.

In all, 78 players and seven coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and 99 players and 33 coaches from the divisional ranks (including Football Championship Subdivision, Div. II, Div. III and NAIA) are on the ballot.

“It’s an enormous honor to just be on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot considering more than 5.47 million people have played college football and only 1,038 players have been inducted,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell.

“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 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class early next year.”

Additonal details regarding the 2022 class of the College Football Hall of Fame will be announced in the future.

The 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 64th NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 6, 2022, and permanently immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Ga. They will also be honored at their respective schools with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the 2022 season.

About the SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country and currently ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams.

Current championship competition offered by the league includes competition for men in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field and Tennis.

Women’s competition is offered in the sports of Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Soccer, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball.

Follow the SWAC
For complete coverage of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, please follow the SWAC on social media at @TheSWAC (Twitter), @TheSWAC (Facebook), and @TheSWAC (Instagram) or visit the official home of the Southwestern Athletic Conference at www.swac.org.

COURTESY SWAC COMMUNICATIONS