Criteria
The Bethune-Cookman University Athletic Hall of Fame was created to preserve the historical contributions of teams, individuals, traditions and accomplishments of the department of intercollegiate athletics at Bethune- Cookman University while paying honor to generations of student-athletes, coaches, administrators and humanitarians who had significant impact on the success of the institution. The Bethune-Cookman University Athletic Hall of Fame will also serve as a fundraiser for the department of athletics and the University by connecting members of the Wildcat Lettermen’s Club with other constituent groups as donors and contributors to the future of the institution. The home of the Bethune-Cookman University Athletic Hall of Fame will be in the foyer of the Handfield Athletic Training Center on the campus of Bethune-Cookman University. The location will feature an exhibit in honor of the members as well as a gallery of sports chronicling the evolution of the Wildcat athletic program.
Criteria
Enshrinement categories shall consist of the following:
1. Student-Athletes
• Athletes must have been enrolled and competed for at least two years at B-CU
• Athletes are eligible for consideration five years after completing their service or exhausting their eligibility.
• Athletes must have lettered in at least one (1) sport at B-CU and must have been named all-conference, team MVP or officially recognized (i.e.; All-American, player of the year) for documented performance with statistical support
• Athletes must have left the university in good standing, academically and financially.
• In certain cases, Special consideration shall be given to those so deemed by the majority of the selection committee.
2. Coaches and Administrators
• Coaches must have served B-CU for minimum of (5) years and coached or assisted at least one (1) conference championship, playoff or national championship team.
• Head Coaches must have won a minimum of sixty percent (60%) of their games at B-CU and made other significant contributions to the University, conference or community through their work as a head coach at BCU.
• Assistant coaches must have been a significant part of a highly successful program and must have been duly recognized as a vital reason for the success of the program (i.e. recruiting, producing All-Americans and/or professionals in their specialty areas, or gained national notoriety in the industry associations as a highly recognized assistant coach during their tenure at BCU)
• In sports with individual performances (tennis, golf and track and field), Coaches can be recognized for producing individual conference and national champions
• Administrators are eligible for consideration after five years of service to the University and must have distinguished themselves by making extraordinary contributions to the University via their work on campus, in the conference, on the national level and by significant accomplishments and milestones achieved while representing BCU in the field of intercollegiate athletics.
• Special consideration shall be given to those so deemed by the majority of the selection committee.
3. Humanitarians and Supporters of Athletics
• Humanitarians and Supporters of Athletics must have documented evidence that they contributed significantly to B-CU Athletics (administrators, sports medical and sports information as well as broadcasting) financially or via direct support of professional service for a minimum of ten (10) years.
• Nominees must be making, or shall agree to make financial contributions to the University and to B-CU Athletics
• Nominees must be of high moral character, integrity and shall be held in high esteem by his/her peers.
• Nominees can be conducted posthumously.
Each nominee regardless of the category must have lived an exemplary life and shown a lifetime commitment to the mission of the department of intercollegiate athletics by illustrating “a desire and capacity for continuous intellectual and moral growth as well as a commitment to the highest level of sportsmanship, ethics, academic and athletic performance.”
To safeguard the integrity of the process and to maintain the sacred value of the Hall of Fame, the University reserves the right to review and analyze information such as social media, and public information and records to validate each candidate’s athletic and personal profile.
Hall of Fame Nomination Committee
The role of the Hall of Fame Nomination Committee is to provide assistance in formulating the official lists of nominees to be submitted to the University administration for final approval, selection and ultimate induction into the Bethune-Cookman University Athletics Hall of Fame.
The nomination committee shall be responsible for:
• Compiling the list from a variety of sources
• Communication with nominees regarding the completion of their applications for consideration;
• Forwarding the approved list of nominees to the University Administration for final approval, selection and enshrinement.
The Hall of Fame Nomination Committee shall consist of the following representatives: The National Alumni Association National President or designee; a representative of the Wildcat Lettermen’s/Booster Club, former student-athletes at the university from distinct eras in the university sports history, persons with various experiences in athletics, education, history, business and community relations. The university will be represented by a staff member from the department of athletics, a representative from the office of Institutional Advancement and a member from the previous Hall of Fame Selection Committee. The committee terms for non-employees of B-CU shall for two years and each member shall serve at the pleasure of the University administration. At the end of the terms the athletic administration will meet with the University administration to appoint representatives to the committee.
Coaches/Athletics Advisory Committee: The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will maintain an advisory committee of coaches and athletic personnel with a working knowledge of the potential nominees so as to provide credible information to assist the committee with its deliberation to ensure that each candidate’s nomination is analyzed with the most accurate information possible. The advisory committee will not have a formal vote but their input will be taken into consideration as the committee deliberates. Because of confidentiality, we ask that all committee members cast their votes in person. No proxy voting shall be allowed.
Nomination Process
Nominations may be made to committee members for consideration by:
1. Alumni members
2. Lettermen’s/Booster club members
3. Former student-athletes
4. Coaches and administrators
• All nominations must be made to the nominating committee 2 months prior to the expected induction
• No member of the Hall of Fame Committee can nominate him/herself for induction
• Each nominee must have statistical support to gain selection into the Hall of Fame
• Those nominees who do not receive the minimum votes for enshrinement shall remain in the pool for the next class consideration; however, the nominating of a particular candidate does not in any way guarantee ultimate induction. The process must be repeated and the criteria applied to each candidate each year that a class is considered for induction.
Once the committee begins to consider the pool of nominees for a given year, no other candidates can be included for consideration in the overall pool for that year. Any additional candidates must appear on the pool for consideration for the next class. In the case of historical nominee’s special consideration shall be given to verified historical accounts of special accomplishments and achievements. In any given class of inductees, the minimum number of inductees shall be six (6) and the total class shall not exceed ten (10) persons at each induction. At least 60% of the honorees shall have been nominated in the category of student-athlete for each class. The remaining members of the class shall be selected from the areas of Coaches and Administrators and Humanitarians and Supporters of Athletics
Procedures:
At the initial meeting of the committee, the chair will review the procedures for the nomination and selection process.
The selection process will be as follows:
1. The Chair will confirm the nomination committee and convene the initial meeting of the Hall of Fame screening sub-committee with a list of preliminary candidates for consideration based on a survey of the history of the program.
2. The committee will meet via teleconference or in person to determine the review the general pool of nominees to remove those who have been inducted, those who are not eligible and to include new names for consideration.
3. The committee will develop a list of up to 20 names for consideration for formal committee review and also to recommend the potential size of the class (including all categories)
4. The formal committee will meet to select the finalists from the 20 semifinalists and the official list will then be forwarded to the University administration for background checks, reviews and ratification.
5. Upon ratification and presidential approval, the chair of the committee and the Vice-President of Athletics will personally contact each nominee and a press release, public announcement and press conference (if applicable) will occur on a date determined by the University announcing the honorees.
6. If another teleconference is required it will be conducted to finalize the inductees.
7. The enshrinement ceremony will be held on a select Friday evening and the class will be honored at the Hall of Fame football game and have the honor of leading the Legacy Walk and serving as game captains.
• Each inductee nominee must have a packet that includes biographical and statistical information on the candidate outlining the career of the individual at Bethune-Cookman as well as exploits after leaving the campus.
• Nominees with incomplete and unverified information cannot be given consideration and thus removed from the pool of nominees for the class under consideration.
• The sports information staff has provided a working list of potential nominees based on a survey of statistical records in the university archives.
• The nominating committee will not notify any candidate or nominee of their consideration for induction into the Bethune-Cookman University Athletic Hall of Fame. The responsibility shall rest solely with the University Administration. The final approval of the class shall be granted by the President of the University. Official notification of selection shall be made in writing under the signature of the President.
