Michigan State University Athletics
College Football Hall of Fame Ballot Features Former Spartans
6/1/2026 3:32:00 PM | Football
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Former Michigan State All-American Flozell Adams, the 1997 Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, and former head coach Darryl Rogers are featured on the National Football Foundation's 2027 ballot (Football Bowl Subdivision) for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
In addition, former Spartan Gideon Smith, the first African American to play intercollegiate athletics at Michigan State and a three-year letterwinner from 1913-15, is on the ballot in the divisional coaching category. Smith coached at Hampton University from 1921-40 and led the Pirates to the 1922 Black College National Championship. He recorded four CIAA titles and two unbeaten seasons in his career. The longest tenured coach in Hampton history, Smith has the second-most wins all-time at the school.
In 2019, running back Lorenzo White was the 10th Spartan player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, joining halfback John Pingel (inducted in 1968), tackle Don Coleman (1975), linebacker George Webster (1987), defensive end Bubba Smith (1988), safety Brad Van Pelt (2001), wide receiver Gene Washington (2011), linebacker Percy Snow (2013), running back Clinton Jones (2015) and wide receiver Kirk Gibson (2017).
Six former Spartan head coaches are also members of the College Football Hall of Fame: Clarence "Biggie" Munn (Class of 1959), Charles Bachman (1978), Hugh Duffy Daugherty (1984), Frank "Muddy" Waters (2000), Mark Dantonio (2024) and Nick Saban (2025).
The 2027 ballot includes 80 players and nine coaches from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and 99 players and 39 coaches from the NCAA divisional and NAIA ranks.
The ballot was emailed Monday to the more than 12,000 NFF members and current NFF Hall of Famers whose votes will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF Honors Court, which will deliberate and select the class. Individuals can cast a vote this year by clicking here to become an NFF member.
The NFF Honors Court, chaired by NFF Trustee and NFF College Football Hall of Famer Archie Griffin (Ohio State), includes an elite and geographically diverse pool of athletic administrators, NFF Hall of Famers and members of the media. Click here for the official criteria and the voting procedures, which govern election to the NFF Hall.
"The strength of the NFF College Football Hall of Fame rests in the integrity of its selection process," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, a 1989 NFF College Football Hall of Fame inductee from Ole Miss. "Each year, our members and Hall of Famers carefully evaluate an outstanding group of nominees whose accomplishments have stood the test of time. Their participation helps preserve the Hall's tradition of excellence while ensuring that the game's greatest contributors receive the recognition they deserve."
The announcement of the 2027 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2027, with specific details to be announced in the future.
The 2027 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 69th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas, and they will be honored at their respective schools with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the 2027 season.
Of the 5.86 million individuals who have played college football since Princeton first battled Rutgers on Nov. 6, 1869, only 1,129 players have earned induction into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame, or less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of those who have played the game during the past 157 seasons. From the coaching ranks, 241 individuals have achieved NFF Hall of Fame distinction.
"For more than seven decades, the NFF College Football Hall of Fame has preserved the legacy of the game's greatest players and coaches, ensuring their stories continue to inspire future generations," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "Being named to this ballot places these remarkable individuals among an exceptionally elite group whose achievements helped shape college football history. We are proud to celebrate their accomplishments and look forward to the selection of the next Hall of Fame class."
Below are bio sketches for Adams and Rogers:
Flozell Adams (OT, 6-7, 300, Bellwood, Ill.): Earned first-team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Foundation as a senior in 1997 . . . one of only three Spartans to be named the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year . . . started all 12 games at left tackle in 1997 and helped the Spartans to a No. 24 ranking in rushing offense (199.5 ypg) . . . also opened holes for MSU running backs who tallied 100 or more yards seven times during the season . . . allowed just two sacks and recorded 37 pancakes . . . in his final game at Spartan Stadium, he graded out 89 percent overall with a season-high six pancakes vs. Penn State as MSU gained 452 yards on the ground, the most ever allowed by the Nittany Lions . . . named recipient of MSU's President's Award in 1997 . . . three-year starter (left tackle in 1997; right tackle in 1995-96) . . . four-year letterwinner (1994-97) . . . was an honorable mention All-Big Ten choice in 1995, a second-team All-Big Ten pick in 1996, and a first-team all-league honoree in 1997 . . . drafted in the second round (No. 38 overall) by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1998 NFL Draft . . . played 13 seasons in the NFL, 12 with Dallas (1998-2009) and one with Pittsburgh (2010) . . . five-time Pro Bowler played in 198 career games, including 194 starts . . . his final game was in Super Bowl XLV with the Steelers.
Darryl Rogers (Head Coach; Michigan State, 1976-79): Guided the Spartans to a 24-18-2 record (.568) in four years as head coach at Michigan State from 1976-79 and coached three first-team All-Americans (wide receiver Kirk Gibson, tight end Mark Brammer and punter Ray Stachowicz) . . . led the Spartans to the 1978 Big Ten championship, claiming the school's fourth conference title . . . honored as the 1978 Big Ten Coach of the Year after the Spartans closed the championship season on a seven-game winning streak, which started with a 24-15 victory at Michigan, to finish the year 8-3 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten . . . 1978 team featured one of the top offenses in school history, setting then MSU single-season records for points scored (411) and scoring average (37.4 points per game) . . . spent 20 seasons as a college head coach (Cal State Hayward, 1965; Fresno State, 1966-72; San Jose State, 1973-75; Michigan State, 1976-79; Arizona State, 1980-84) . . . passed away at the age of 84 on July 11, 2018.
In addition, former Spartan Gideon Smith, the first African American to play intercollegiate athletics at Michigan State and a three-year letterwinner from 1913-15, is on the ballot in the divisional coaching category. Smith coached at Hampton University from 1921-40 and led the Pirates to the 1922 Black College National Championship. He recorded four CIAA titles and two unbeaten seasons in his career. The longest tenured coach in Hampton history, Smith has the second-most wins all-time at the school.
In 2019, running back Lorenzo White was the 10th Spartan player inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, joining halfback John Pingel (inducted in 1968), tackle Don Coleman (1975), linebacker George Webster (1987), defensive end Bubba Smith (1988), safety Brad Van Pelt (2001), wide receiver Gene Washington (2011), linebacker Percy Snow (2013), running back Clinton Jones (2015) and wide receiver Kirk Gibson (2017).
Six former Spartan head coaches are also members of the College Football Hall of Fame: Clarence "Biggie" Munn (Class of 1959), Charles Bachman (1978), Hugh Duffy Daugherty (1984), Frank "Muddy" Waters (2000), Mark Dantonio (2024) and Nick Saban (2025).
The 2027 ballot includes 80 players and nine coaches from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and 99 players and 39 coaches from the NCAA divisional and NAIA ranks.
The ballot was emailed Monday to the more than 12,000 NFF members and current NFF Hall of Famers whose votes will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF Honors Court, which will deliberate and select the class. Individuals can cast a vote this year by clicking here to become an NFF member.
The NFF Honors Court, chaired by NFF Trustee and NFF College Football Hall of Famer Archie Griffin (Ohio State), includes an elite and geographically diverse pool of athletic administrators, NFF Hall of Famers and members of the media. Click here for the official criteria and the voting procedures, which govern election to the NFF Hall.
"The strength of the NFF College Football Hall of Fame rests in the integrity of its selection process," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning, a 1989 NFF College Football Hall of Fame inductee from Ole Miss. "Each year, our members and Hall of Famers carefully evaluate an outstanding group of nominees whose accomplishments have stood the test of time. Their participation helps preserve the Hall's tradition of excellence while ensuring that the game's greatest contributors receive the recognition they deserve."
The announcement of the 2027 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2027, with specific details to be announced in the future.
The 2027 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 69th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas, and they will be honored at their respective schools with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the 2027 season.
Of the 5.86 million individuals who have played college football since Princeton first battled Rutgers on Nov. 6, 1869, only 1,129 players have earned induction into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame, or less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of those who have played the game during the past 157 seasons. From the coaching ranks, 241 individuals have achieved NFF Hall of Fame distinction.
"For more than seven decades, the NFF College Football Hall of Fame has preserved the legacy of the game's greatest players and coaches, ensuring their stories continue to inspire future generations," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "Being named to this ballot places these remarkable individuals among an exceptionally elite group whose achievements helped shape college football history. We are proud to celebrate their accomplishments and look forward to the selection of the next Hall of Fame class."
Below are bio sketches for Adams and Rogers:
Flozell Adams (OT, 6-7, 300, Bellwood, Ill.): Earned first-team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Foundation as a senior in 1997 . . . one of only three Spartans to be named the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year . . . started all 12 games at left tackle in 1997 and helped the Spartans to a No. 24 ranking in rushing offense (199.5 ypg) . . . also opened holes for MSU running backs who tallied 100 or more yards seven times during the season . . . allowed just two sacks and recorded 37 pancakes . . . in his final game at Spartan Stadium, he graded out 89 percent overall with a season-high six pancakes vs. Penn State as MSU gained 452 yards on the ground, the most ever allowed by the Nittany Lions . . . named recipient of MSU's President's Award in 1997 . . . three-year starter (left tackle in 1997; right tackle in 1995-96) . . . four-year letterwinner (1994-97) . . . was an honorable mention All-Big Ten choice in 1995, a second-team All-Big Ten pick in 1996, and a first-team all-league honoree in 1997 . . . drafted in the second round (No. 38 overall) by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1998 NFL Draft . . . played 13 seasons in the NFL, 12 with Dallas (1998-2009) and one with Pittsburgh (2010) . . . five-time Pro Bowler played in 198 career games, including 194 starts . . . his final game was in Super Bowl XLV with the Steelers.
Darryl Rogers (Head Coach; Michigan State, 1976-79): Guided the Spartans to a 24-18-2 record (.568) in four years as head coach at Michigan State from 1976-79 and coached three first-team All-Americans (wide receiver Kirk Gibson, tight end Mark Brammer and punter Ray Stachowicz) . . . led the Spartans to the 1978 Big Ten championship, claiming the school's fourth conference title . . . honored as the 1978 Big Ten Coach of the Year after the Spartans closed the championship season on a seven-game winning streak, which started with a 24-15 victory at Michigan, to finish the year 8-3 overall and 7-1 in the Big Ten . . . 1978 team featured one of the top offenses in school history, setting then MSU single-season records for points scored (411) and scoring average (37.4 points per game) . . . spent 20 seasons as a college head coach (Cal State Hayward, 1965; Fresno State, 1966-72; San Jose State, 1973-75; Michigan State, 1976-79; Arizona State, 1980-84) . . . passed away at the age of 84 on July 11, 2018.
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