IRVING, Texas – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today the names on the 2019 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, and for the third-consecutive year former Illinois State All-American Boomer Grigsby's name appeared on the ballot among the greatest college football players and coaches.
"It's an enormous honor to just be on the ballot when you think that more than 5.26 million people have played college football and only 997 players have been inducted," NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell said. "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 those actually elected to the Class will be part of a momentous year as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of college football in 2019."
Grigsby, a three-time First-Team All-American (2002-04) and the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) career leader in total (550) and solo (325) tackles, is among this year's list of 76 players and six coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 100 players and 32 coaches from the divisional ranks to make this year's ballot.
During his illustrious career at Illinois State, Grigsby became one of the most celebrated players in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) history. The Canton, Illinois, native was a three-time Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year, making him the only player in league history to accomplish the feat. He was also a three-time finalist in The Sports Network's Buck Buchanan Award voting as the nation's top FCS defensive player. He is the only player in the history of the award to finish in the top-three for three-consecutive years.
He has been inducted into the Canton High School and Illinois State Athletics Percy Family halls of fame and was selected as a member of the MVFC All-Select NFL Team and Silver Anniversary Team (announced in 2009). For all of his accomplishments, the Defensive Player of the Year Award presented by College Sporting News has been named in honor Grigsby. The award is given annually by CSN, the largest and oldest news service solely devoted to publishing original content and other information of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision.
Following his decorated collegiate career, Grigsby was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played three seasons with the Chiefs, before finishing his career with stops with the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans. Grigsby continued his relationship with Illinois State football as the color analyst for Redbird football broadcasts on NBC Sports Chicago for three seasons and also served as a television analyst for Illinois High School Association football playoff broadcasts for two years. He currently works in Las Vegas for Stryker Instruments.
The announcement of the 2019 Class will be made Monday, Jan. 7, 2019, in Santa Clara, Calif., the host site for the CFP National Championship, which will be played later that day at Levi's Stadium. The 2019 class will then officially be inducted during the 62nd NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 10, 2019, at the New York Hilton Midtown. The inductees will be permanently enshrined at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta later that December and honored on the field during the 15th Annual National Hall of Fame Salute during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. They will also be honored at their respective schools with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the 2019 season.
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