College Football Hall of Fame ballot includes 4 from ASU, 1 from NAU

The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced Tuesday the 2021 College Football Hall of Fame ballot, which includes three Arizona State football player candidates, one ASU coaching candidate and one Northern Arizona player candidate.

Arizona State defensive back David Fulcher (1983-85), defensive end Al Harris (1975-78) and kicker Luis Zendejas (1981-84), Arizona State coach Darryl Rogers (1980-84) and NAU running back Archie Amerson (1995-96) were all on the ballot.

Fulcher was twice a consensus All-America selection as he had 286 total tackles and 14 interceptions in his career. ASU made the Holiday Bowl in 1985, a year in which Fulcher had six picks.

This will be Harris’ ninth year on the ballot. In his last season as a Sun Devil, he had 19 sacks, still the second-most in a season in school history. In 1978, ASU beat No. 2 USC, which went on to split the national title with its only loss coming against the Sun Devils.

Zendejas sees his first year on the ballot. He left college as the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer with 380 points. He is Arizona State’s all-time leader in field goals made in one season. He was a four-time All-Conference selection and is in the Sun Devil Athletics Hall of Fame.

Rogers was 37-18 as ASU’s coach and led the Sun Devils to a Fiesta Bowl win in 1982. He also coached Fresno State, San Jose State and Michigan State with an all-time record of 109-62.

Arizona State has 12 people in the College Football Hall of Fame: Bob Breunig, John Cooper, Dan Devine, Dennis Erickson, Mike Haynes, John Jefferson, Frank Kush, Randall McDaniel, Jake Plummer, Ron Pritchard, Pat Tillman and Danny White.

Amerson won the Walter Payton Award in 1996 and set records for both the most rushing yards in a season in school history (3,196) — despite being there for just two seasons — and the most career rushing yards in school history (2,079).

The inductees to the Hall of Fame will be announced in early 2021.

The College Football Hall of Fame has a set of requirements that must be met in order to be considered. First, a player must have been a first-team All-America selection. Secondly, players don’t become eligible until 10 years after they’re no longer playing college football, but players who are still playing professionally or coaches still coaching professionally aren’t eligible until they retire.

Nominations are made by representatives from schools, but they must pass through a District Screening Committee to appear on the ballot.

The Football Foundation said 5.4 million people have played college football since it began in 1869, while only 1,027 have made the hall of fame.

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