It is the 25^thanniversary of the creation of Conference USA and in recognition of this the athletic coalition has created a Hall of Fame.

The first class consists (appropriately) of 25 people, 20 student-athletes, three coaches and two administrators.

To qualify for the Hall, a candidate must meet the following criteria:

1. Student-athletes must have played a minimum of two years.For coaches or administrators, the minimum requirement is five years of service.
2. Student-athletes must have last played for the institution at least five years.
3. Considerations for student-athletes are based on national honors, conference honors, academic standing and off-field contributions.
4. Considerations for coaches and administrators are based on C-USA as a whole.

The 25 inductees are:

Players:

Courtney Blades, Southern Mississippi, Softball 1999-2000:  Blades was the National Softball Player of the Year in 2000 and made history as the first player to record 600 Strikeouts in a season.  She took Southern Miss to two straight College World series appearances.

Arnau Brugues, Tulsa, Men’s Tennis 2006-09:  From Spain, Brugues was a four-time Conference USA Player of the Year and would win the 2006 Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Tennis Championship. This marked the first time that a C-USA player won the title.

Tori Bowie, Southern Miss, Track & Field 2009-12:  Bowie was the 2011 and 2012 C-USA Field Athlete of the Year and she would also win the NCAA Long Jump Championship twice.  After college, she represented the United States at the 2016 Olympics where she won Gold in the 4x100 m relay, Silver in the 100 m, and Bronze in the 200 m.

Jon Busch, Charlotte, Men’s Soccer 1994-96:  A First Team All-American and Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year in 1996, Busch would take Charlotte to their first College Cup appearance that same year. He would later play in Major League Soccer for fifteen years and was named the Goalkeeper of the Year in 1998.

Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis, Men’s Basketball 2005-08:  An All-American in 2008, Douglas-Roberts was also named the C-USA Player of the Year in 2008.  That year, he led the Tigers to the National Championship Game.

Jarett Dillard, Rice, Football 2005-08:  Dillard was a First Team All-American in 2008 and would set a record with a touchdown reception in 17 straight games.  In 2008, He was a vital part in Rice’s first bowl win in 54 years.

Jake Gautreau, Tulane, Baseball 1998-2001:  Gautreau was the C-USA player of the year in 2000 and 2001 and took the Green Wave to the College World Series in 2001.  He would represent Team USA in the Olympics in 2000.

Tyler Henderson, Tulsa, Volleyball 2009-12:  Henderson was a three-time C-USA Player of the Year (2010-12) and would set an NCAA record for kills in a season (710).

Deanna Jackson, UAB, Women’s Basketball 1998-2002:  Jackson was the 2001 Conference USA Player of the Year and was the first player in the conference to record 2,000 Points and 1,000 Rebounds.

Chandi Jones, Houston, Women’s Basketball 2000-04:  Jones was a three-time Conference USA Player of the Year and was the Division I Scoring Champion in 2003.  She is still the all-time leading scorer in conference history.

Case Keenum, Houston, Football 2007-11:  Keenum was named the C-USA MVP in both 2009 and 2011.  He took Houston to four straight bowl games and he holds the FBS record for completions (1,546), passing yards (19,217) and passing touchdowns (155).  To date, he has thrown for 64 Touchdowns in the NFL.

Michael Kogan, Tulane, Men’s Tennis 2001-04:  Kogan was a four-time Conference USA Player of the Year and would take the Green Wave to three C-USA titles.  He played the NCAA Championship in singles and doubles four times.

Kenyon Martin, Cincinnati, Men’s Basketball 1997-2000:  Martin was the Consensus National Player of the Year in 2000 and was a part of the Bearcats four straight NCAA Tournaments.  He would be drafted #1 overall and would play 14 years in the National Basketball Association.

Graeme McDowell, UAB, Men’s Golf 1999-2002:  Named the 2001 and 2002 Conference USA Golfer of the Year, he would be named the 2002 Haskins Award winner that is given annually the most outstanding college golfer. McDowell would later win the 2010 U.S. Open.

Yulia Pakhalina, Houston, Diving and Swimming 2001-03:  From Russia, Pakhalina won 64 of 66 collegiate diving events.  She would be a three-time Olympian winning the Gold Medal in 2000 3m Synchronized Springboard and Silver in the same event in 2004 & 2008. She also won a Silver and Bronze in the 3 m Springboard in 2008 & 2004 respectively.

Anthony Rendon, Rice, Baseball 2008-11:  Rendon would win the Dick Howser Trophy as the top Division I college player in 2009. Rendon would be named the 2010 C-USA Male Athlete of the Year and is currently in his seventh season in the Majors, playing for the Washington Nationals.

Brooke Tull, TCU, Women’s Golf 2002-04:  Tull was a three-time C-USA Golfer of the Year and would have four tournament wins.

Dwayne Wade, Marquette, Men’s Basketball 2001-03:  Wade was the Conference USA Player of the Year in 2003 and took Marquette to their first Final Four Appearance.  Wade would play 15 seasons in the NBA and take the Miami Heat to three NBA Titles.

DeAngelo Williams, Memphis, Football 2002-05:  Williams was a First Team All-American in 2005 and was a three-time C-USA Offensive Player of the Year.  He is the all-time leader in Conference USA Rushing Yards and fifth in the FBS.  In the NFL, he would lead the NFL twice in Rushing Touchdowns.

Kevin Youkilis, Cincinnati, Baseball 1998-2001:  Youkilis was twice a Second Team All-American (2000 & 2001) and would later win two World Series rings with the Boston Red Sox.

Coaches:

Jeff Bower, Southern Mississippi, Football 1995-2007:  Bower was a three-time C-USA Coach of the Year and would post a winning record 12 years, making 10 bowls.  He would take Southern Miss to a Liberty Bowl win in both 1997 and 1999.

Wayne Graham, Rice, Baseball 2006-18:  Graham took Rice too the College World Series in 2006, 2007 & 2008 and is a three-time C-USA Coach of the Year.  He is a member of the College Baseball Hall of Fame.

Bob Huggins, Cincinnati, Men’s Basketball 1995-2004:  Huggins is a three-time C-USA Coach of the Year and took the Bearcats to the Elite Eight in 1996.

Administrators:

Gene Bartow, UAB, Men’s Basketball Coach & Athletics Director:  Bartow is a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

Mike Slive, Conference USA Commissioner 1995-2002.

1. Moving forward, the Conference USA Hall of Fame will have a class of at least one and a maximum of five.
   
   We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the first class of the Conference USA Athletic Hall of Fame.

We have another significant retirement to discuss in the National Football League as Detroit Lions, Free Safety, Glover Quin has decided to call it a career after 10 seasons.

A 2009 fourth round pick from New Mexico, Quin played for the Houston Texans for four years before he joined the Lions in 2013.  He would be named to the Pro Bowl in 2014, the year he led the NFL in Interceptions with 7.  He would have 24 in total over his career. 

We will be adding Quin to our 2024 football futures section in the upcoming months.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Glover Quin the best in his post-playing career.

It is another big day for us at Notinhalloffame.com!

Our Fictitious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced the Semi-Finalists based on a six-month open vote to the public.

The Semi-Finalists are:

Alice Bowie: Cheech and Chong: Up in Smoke.  

They would win a local battle of the bands and had a minor hit in the “real world” with “Earache My Eye”.

Bleeding Gums Murphy: The Simpsons. 

Murphy was a jazz icon in Springfield who once appeared on the Cosby Show as one of the many grandfathers of the Huxtable clan.  He passed away in the early 90’s.

Chris Gaines: Garth Brooks. 

Brooks created an alter-ego of Chris Gaines and would release an album in the 1990’s

Citizen Dick: Singles.  

A Seattle based grunge band that apparently had huge success in Belgium.  

Drive Shaft: Lost.  

A one-hit wonder with “You All Everybody”, the lead guitarist vanished along with many other people when their plane crashed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Eddie and the Cruisers: Eddie and the Cruisers & Eddie and the Cruisers 2.  

The band was an up and coming bar band from New Jersey poised for greatness until the lead singer killed himself when record execs failed to understand the new material. Or did he fake his death?

Fingrin D’an and the Modal Nodes: Star Wars: A New Hope

This is the house band at the Mos Eisley Cantina that seems to know only two songs.

Hannah Montana: Hannah Montana

At one time Hannah Montana was the biggest star in the teen girl musical world but she lived a double life as a regular girl in California.

Hi-Fye: The Flintstones

Fred Flintstone became a teen idol for a hot second as a Buddy Holly knockoff.

Jackie Rogers Jr.: SCTV

An Albino lounge singer who was the son of Jackie Rogers Sr.

Jem and the Holograms: Jem and the Holograms

An all-girl pop band who were big in the 1980’s and had a secret as the lead singer owned the label…and a holographic computer.

Jesse and the Rippers: Full House

A bar band in the San Francisco area that is very kid friendly.  The lead singer has many nieces.

Lurleen Lumpkin: The Simpsons

A singer from the sticks of Springfield that would become one of the biggest country music stars in the U.S.

Max Frost and the Troopers: Wild in the Streets

Led by Max Frost, the anti-establishment group would become establishment when Frost became the President of the United States and put everyone over 30 in a concentration camp.

Miss Piggy: The Muppets

A diva in every sense of the word.

Mouse Rat: Parks and Recreation

A bar band that finds gigs regularly in Pawnee, Indiana.

Nick Rivers:Top Secret

A teen idol who becomes a spy and helps the French Resistance.

Otis Day in the Knights: National Lampoon’s Animal House

An R&B Band that is hired by the Delta Fraternity at Faber College.  They would later play the Dexter Lake Club.

Phoebe Buffay: Friends

A regular singer at Central Perk in New York City whose song, Smelly Cat would be made into a video.

Randy Watson: Coming to America

Along with his band Sexual Chocolate, they were fixtures at the Black Awareness rallies in Queens, New York.

Ricky Ricardo: I Love Lucy

A Cuban bandleader who played calypso at a club that he didn’t want his wife to attend.

Robbie Hart: The Wedding Singer

A small town wedding singer, Robbie Hart was more interested in pursuing a songwriting career. After a chance meeting with Billy Idol, it very well may have happened.

Scrantonicity: The Office

A Scranton based Police cover band.

Scum of the Earth: WKRP in Cincinnati

A hard rock band from England that played a sold-out concert in Cincinnati.  It was the first rock show promoted by WKRP after they changed to a Rock and Roll format.

Stillwater: Almost Famous

An up and coming band in the early 70’s that was featured prominently in Rolling Stone Magazine.

The Archies: The Archies

A comic book turned pretend band that had a number one hit, “Sugar Sugar” in the real world.

The Beets: Doug

A takeoff of the Beatles, the Beets appear often in the Nickelodeon show, Doug.

The Bugaloos: The Bugaloos

From the Sid and Marty Kroft universe, the Bugaloos came from the Tranquility Forest where the insect inspired group were the biggest band in the land.

The Commitments: The Commitments

A Dublin based band that set out to be the greatest soul group of all time.

The Dreams: Dreamgirls

A very Supremes like group who shot to stardom in the 1960’s.

The Max Rebo Band: Star Wars: Return of the Jedi 

The house band at Jabba’s Palace.

The Misfits: Jem and the Holograms

The rivals of Jem and the Holograms.  They aren’t just rivals, as the Misfits would do anything to rid the world of Jem.

The Partridge Family: The Partridge Family

A family of musicians that had two talents who seemed to carry the rest of the group (as they didn’t seem to know how to play their instruments.)

The Rutles: The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash

A parody of the Beatles, The Rutles were not just the biggest band in England but in the world.

The School of Rock: School of Rock

A teacher and his students would compete in their local battle of the bands.  

The Soggy Bottom Boys: O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Escaped convicts record a hit bluegrass album while on the run during depression era Mississippi.

Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld: South Park

From South Park, Colorado, Timmy and the Lords of the Underworld won a local Battle of the Bands so that they could open for Phil Collins.  As it would turn out, Collins would wind up opening for them.

Zack Attack: Saved by the Bell

Led by Zack Morris and his friends they would become famous for their songs about friendship. At least that is what Casey Kasem told us.

You can vote for who you think should be in the Finals here:

http://www.notinhalloffame.com/ficitious-rock-and-roll-voting/2019-round-2

The members of the Fictitious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

Alvin & The Chipmunks

Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem

Gorillaz

Spinal Tap

Tenacious D

The Blues Brothers

The Monkees

The Wonders

As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com thank you for your support!

We here at Notinhalloffame.com thought it would be fun to take a look at the major awards in North American team sports and see how it translates into Hall of Fame potential.

Needless to say, different awards in different sports yield hall of fame potential.  In basketball, the team sport with the least number of players on a roster, the dividend for greatness much higher.  In baseball, it is not as much as a great individual season does not have the same impact.

For our next selection we look at the Roberto Clemente Award. Originally, this was called the Commissioners Award, the accolade is given annually to the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to the team.  It was renamed the Roberto Clemente Award following the death of Clemente who died in a plane crash while on the way to Nicaragua to deliver supplies to victims of the Nicaragua Earthquake.

So, how many Roberto Clemente Award winners have been enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Let’s find out!

*Please note that as statistics are not as relevant for this award so as opposed to how we normally list players, we will simply just list the winners as opposed to go into that year’s accomplishments.

The following are the past players who have won the Roberto Clemente Award in the MLB who are eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame and have been enshrined.

Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants (1971)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.

Brooks Robinson, Baltimore Orioles (1972)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983.

Al Kaline, Detroit Tigers (1973)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980.

Willie Stargell, Pittsburgh Pirates (1974)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1988.

Lou Brock, St. Louis Cardinals (1975)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985.

Rod Carew, Minnesota Twins (1977)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.

Phil Niekro, Atlanta Braves (1980)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997.

Gary Carter, New York Mets (1989)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.

Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore Orioles (1992)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Barry Larkin, Cincinnati Reds (1993)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

Dave Winfield, Minnesota Twins (1994)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.

Ozzie Smith, St. Louis Cardinals (1995)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.

Kirby Puckett, Minnesota Twins (1996)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.

Tony Gwynn, San Diego Padres (1999)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.

Jim Thome, Cleveland Indians (2002)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.

Edgar Martinez, Seattle Mariners (2004)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019.

John Smoltz, Atlanta Braves (2005)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.

Craig Biggio, Houston Astros (2007)

Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.

The following are the players who have won the Roberto Clemente Award in MLB who are eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame and have not been selected:

Pete Rose, Cincinnati Reds (1976)

Rose is banned from the Hall of Fame. Ranked #1A on Notinhalloffame.com.

Greg Luzinski, Philadelphia Phillies (1978)

Luzinski was on the ballot for one year in 1990 and received 0.2% of the vote.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Andre Thornton, Cleveland Indians (1979)

Thornton was on the ballot for one year in 1993 and received 0.5% of the vote.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Steve Garvey, Los Angeles Dodgers (1981)

Garvey was on the ballot for fifteen years in and finished as high as 42.6% in 1995.  Ranked #25 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Ken Singleton, Baltimore Orioles (1982)

Singleton was on the ballot for one year in 1990 but did not receive any votes.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Cecil Cooper, Milwaukee Brewers (1983)

Cooper was on the ballot for one year in 1993 and received 0.5% of the vote.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Ron Guidry, New York Yankees (1984)

Guidrey was on the ballot for nine years in and finished as high as 8.8% in 2000.  Ranked #54 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Don Baylor, New York Yankees (1985)

Baylor was on the ballot for two years in 1993 and received 2.6% of the vote in both years.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Garry Maddox, Philadelphia Phillies (1986)

Maddox was on the ballot for one year in 1990 but did not receive any votes.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Rick Sutcliffe, Chicago Cubs (1987)

Sutcliffe was on the ballot for one year in 2000 and received 1.7% of the vote.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Dale Murphy, Atlanta Braves (1988)

Murphy was on the ballot for fifteen years in and finished as high as 23.2% in 2000.  Ranked #30 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Dave Stewart, Oakland Athletics (1990)

Stewart was on the ballot for two years and finished as high as 7.4% in 2001.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Harold Reynolds, Seattle Mariners (1991)

Although Reynolds was eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2000 he was not on the ballot.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Eric Davis, Cincinnati Reds (1997)

Davis was on the ballot for one year in 2007 and received 0.6% of the ballot.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Sammy Sosa, Chicago Cubs (1998)

Sosa has been on the ballot for seven years and finished as high as 12.5% in 2013.  Ranked #29 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Al Leiter, New York Mets (2000)

Leiter was on the ballot for one year in 2011 and received 0.7% of the vote.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Curt Schilling, Arizona Diamondbacks (2001)

Schilling has been on the ballot for seven years and finished as high as 60.9% in 2019.  Ranked #5 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Jamie Moyer, Seattle Mariners (2003)

Moyer was on the ballot for one year and finished with 2.4% in 2018.  Ranked #105 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Carlos Delgado, New York Mets (2006)

Delgado was on the ballot for one year and finished with 3.8% in 2015.  Ranked #79 on Notinhalloffame.com.

Tim Wakefield, Boston Red Sox (2010)

Wakefield was on the ballot for one year in 2017 and received 0.2% of the vote.  Unranked on Notinhalloffame.com.

Let’s update our tally, shall we?

So, who is up next?

The following are the players who have won the Roberto Clemente Award in the Major League Baseball who have retired but have not met the mandatory years out of the game to qualify for the Baseball Hall of Fame:

Derek Jeter, New York Yankees (2009)

Eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020.

David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox (2011)

Eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022.

Carlos Beltran, New York Mets (2013)

Eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2023.

Jimmy Howard, Philadelphia Phillies (2014) (Co-Winner)

Eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022.

Paul Konerko, Chicago White Sox (2014) (Co-Winner)

Eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020.

The following are the players who have won the Roberto Clemente Award who are still active.

Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals (2008)

39 Years Old, Playing for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers (2012)

31 Years Old, Playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates (2015)

32 Years Old, Playing for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Curtis Granderson, New York Mets (2016)

38 Years Old, Playing for the Miami Marlins.

Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs (2017)

29 Years Old, Playing for the Chicago Cubs.

Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals (2018)

36 Years Old, Playing for the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Roberto Clemente Award winners seems to lean toward elite players and we suspect that this will be a pattern to continue.

Up next, we are going to stay within the tertiary Baseball Awards and look at the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award.

As always, we thank you for that support and look for that soon!