MGoHall Of Fame: Structure Comment Count

Brian

BoSchembechler[1]

Obligatory Bo shot.

So. That hall of fame that we talked about. I went back and checked everyone's suggestions and have come up with this tentative structure:

Sports. This blog focuses primarily on football, basketball, and hockey, and since the end product here is going to be a career-encompassing column on the site the author of that column has to have experienced the career in question to write on it. Since that's me that unfortunately disqualifies the sports I don't get punched in the heart by.

In the event I or someone else who writes for the site does experience a sporting career outside the Big Three worthy of entry, we will play it by ear.

Eligibility. Anyone whose career finished up in 2005 or later in those three sports. There is no waiting period, but it will be tougher to get in in year one. How tough I can't exactly say. Looking over the list of candidates so far it seems like 2-4 a year across all three sports is about right.

There may be an old-timer's committee at some point to retroactively enroll folks like Charles Woodson. We'll see. Paging Craig Ross.

Entry process. Popular vote on the site. Registered users only to prevent bot spamming, but no point restrictions. Since I'm not entirely sure what the voting patterns are going to be like it's hard to set a definite threshold, but it will be a large supermajority—say 75%. People generally liked the idea of starting off higher and coming down as the player's career gets more distant.

Limits. No one has to get in any year, except this year when I'll declare the top vote-getter in each of the three sports to be an auto-entry.

Entry criteria. At this point in my internet career I know better than to tell the internet what to do, because the internet does not listen. But the end result here should provide some guidance. I can write a really swell career encomium for Zack Novak or Shawn Hunwick or Brandon Graham, but probably not Troy Woolfolk, star-crossed though he is, or Brandon Minor.

Overall greatness is part of the equation, but only part. There's also a heavy component of how misty it gets when player X is announced on senior day, assuming he makes it that far. Time served is necessarily a consideration—Max Pacioretty was pretty great during his one year but his quick exit makes it hard me to think of anything to say about him other than "was pretty great that one year." On the other hand, if Mike Comrie was eligible, hell yes. Woodson ditto. It's about a personal impact on you.

I don't know, man. Just close your eyes and use the Force.

Inaugural class. As previously stated, at least three. To keep the gate high and the candidate pool viable, the inaugural class will be a max of six.

End results. We'll have a page on the site that will serve as a home base; each entry will get a column that will be archived there. Under no circumstances is this to be told to anyone who gets in, and if you do for the love of God please don't tell me about it.

Candidates. To make things simple I am the candidate selection committee, albeit with much input from the crowd. I'll pick ten football, five basketball, and five hockey players from the time period to put up for nomination, put their pros and cons in a few posts, and then let registered folks have at the voting. I'm assuming there will be a bright line between yes and no, but I'll make more definitive calls when I have some data to go on. For now, here's an excellent list of candidates put together by Tom From AA. I'll have hockey up later today.

Photoshoppin'. I have no skills in this department, and this is the kind of thing that seems like it needs both a logo and maybe some special career-summing image leading these posts. Interested? Let me know.

Let's get to it. If there are strenuous objections to any of this, nothing's set in stone. Let me know.

Comments

jmblue

May 10th, 2012 at 11:29 AM ^

To be perfectly honest, I thought this was kind of a cool idea at first but when you see all the criteria and whatnot, it's just too complicated.

His Dudeness

May 10th, 2012 at 11:40 AM ^

RE: The list from TOM in AA. Didn't Micheal Phelps go to Michigan? If so, he should probably be on board right? I always assumed he did. I know he swam for the club team and trained here.

Don

May 10th, 2012 at 1:15 PM ^

The dictionary definitions of alma mater that I've found refer to an educational institution that one has attended, and generally graduated from. However, in normal, everyday use by academics, educators, and students, the term "alma mater" is understood to mean a graduate virtually without exception. Regardless, your larger point is correct—Phelps never competed as an official varsity member of the UM swimming team.

M-Wolverine

May 10th, 2012 at 11:55 AM ^

I don't think he'd qualify under the "Big 3" restriction.

Though I imagine at some point there will be a special division category for those who have gone above and beyond our lack of notice of their sport, and become well known to even the football-only fan.

It might be hard to rate the greatest softball player of all time at Michigan and write about it...but the one who lead the team to the National Title?  That might be easier.  In this case, it was kind of hard NOT to hear about what Phelps was doing.

WolvinLA2

May 10th, 2012 at 11:41 AM ^

I think under certain circumstances, guys outside of the big three should be included.  Trevor Yealy and Vanderkaay are good examples, maybe a Nick Willis too.

gjking

May 10th, 2012 at 12:07 PM ^

I agree with this sentiment. While the blog focuses primarily on the big 3 sports, there are a lot of extrodinary athletes that have been at Michigan in the past few years.

That being said, I can imagine that trying to be fair across sports would be nearly impossible and could become a slippery slope.

ryebreadboy

May 10th, 2012 at 12:25 PM ^

Plus, you're going to run into a problem with voting.  If we're talking Denard or Novak or Hunwick, it's cool, because everybody knows who they are.  I'd venture to guess that the majority of this site does not follow softball or gymnastics or lax, and consequently people are going to have no idea who the proposed candidates are and whether or not they merit inclusion.  So you'll run into three scenarios: 1) no one votes except those interested (unlikely), 2) everyone votes against them b/c omg purity and idk who they are, and 3) groupthink leads to every relative unknown getting included (what? wolvinla thinks we should put in ___?  okay by me!)

WolvinLA2

May 10th, 2012 at 3:17 PM ^

I highly doubt you speak for most of the board. Trevor Yealy is the current star of our lacrosse team and has had a great career. Peter Vanderkaay will be in his third Olympics this summer, and has won multiple medals, as well as multiple national championships at Michigan. Nick Willis is likely the least well known, but he was a national champion on our track team in the mid 2000s and was also in the Olympics.

ish

May 10th, 2012 at 11:43 AM ^

i think the old-timer's committee needs to get up and running ASAP.  how can we have a hall of fame and not have woodson, desmond, etc.?  then it's just an mgoblog hall of fame.  i know we're calling it the mgohall of fame, but a critical mass of users here remember michigan sports for a much longer period of time than the site existed and discuss those times frequently.

profitgoblue

May 10th, 2012 at 11:49 AM ^

I was just about to volunteer to assist with nominations for the 1990s.  Maybe we should have a couple of different committees based on generations.  For example, one for -1980s, one for the 80s, one for the 90s, and then Brians portion.  Just an idea.

 

DamnYankee

May 10th, 2012 at 12:07 PM ^

Vada Murray -- Great player and Class Act

Tripp Welborne - absolute athletic Freak

Desmond Howard - 'nuff said

Tyrone Wheatley - absolute beast

Steve Everitt - Nastiest, Toughest SOB that I ever saw play center.  Broke his right hand (snapping hand) in camp and learned to snap with his left.  My generation's David Molk....or I should probably say that Molk is this generation's Steve Everitt!!

DamnYankee

May 10th, 2012 at 1:36 PM ^

I used to wait/bus tables at Cottage Inn during school and those guys would come by and eat.  I remember meeting him for the first time.  He ordered "a pizza and a water."  I asked him if he wanted ice in his cup.  He replied, "Don't need a cup."  He had these huge hands that engulfed the pitcher like my hands would a coffee cup - that is how he drank his beverages.

profitgoblue

May 10th, 2012 at 12:24 PM ^

Kolesar should definitely be on the ballot.

The Fab Five era is interesting.  We could arguably put Webber, Rose, and Juwan on the ballot (leaving off Jimmy and Ray-Ray) OR we could put the whole Fab Five as one entry.  Maybe that would be a good idea since this is an extraordinary HofF?

 

jg2112

May 10th, 2012 at 1:17 PM ^

Great player, took his demotion with honor, played his way into the second round and 2 NBA titles, had a child while in school, still made it all the way through, and basically won the Oklahoma State game in the 1991-92 tourney.