MSU Legend Eddie P. Hurt named to 2019 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

76 players and six coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 100 players and 32 coaches from the divisional ranks make-up the 2019 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced the names Monday. Morgan State head coach Eddie P. Hurt is among the list of nominees. Hurt led Morgan's football teams to six Black College National Championships and won 14 CIAA titles. Eleven of his squads executed undefeated seasons, including a non-losing string of games from 1932 to 1938. His 1943 team did not allow a score from a single opponent. Hurt was once asked about his successful coaching history. He responded, "If I've done anything at all, it's been because of other coaches, the men, the colleges, the administration, the alumni, friends, just everybody. I've only had one formula, and that's hard work." Prior to Morgan State, Hurt coached at Virginia Theological Seminary and College (now Virginia University of Lynchburg) from 1925 to 1928. "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," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "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." The 2019 class will 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. Of the 5.26 million individuals who have played college football since Princeton first battled Rutgers on Nov. 6, 1869, only 997 players have earned induction into the 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 149 years. From the coaching ranks, 217 individuals have achieved Hall of Fame distinction.