Notre Dame Football: Odds of 3 Hall-of-Fame Finalists Joining Elusive Club

In 2012, people will tend to overlook the Notre Dame football program because of a lack of recent success.

Now is the time to remind everyone of the incredible history the team holds. On Wednesday, the National Football Foundation (NFF) released a list of 76 players and eight coaches that are on the 2012 ballot to gain entrance into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Typically, only 12 to 15 players and a coach make the cut, which makes it quite the exclusive club. Since inductions started back in 1951, 43 former Notre Dame players and six coaches have been enshrined. No other school has as many.

Here are the odds of the three Notre Dame players achieving this glorious status May 15 in New York City.

Raghib “Rocket” Ismail, WR/RB (1988-90)

The Rocket is a shoe-in.

He is one of only two players to collect over 1,000 yards rushing and receiving at South Bend. He averaged an eye-popping 7.7 yards per carry on the ground and collected 108 rushing yards in the 1990 Orange Bowl against top ranked Colorado to earn the game MVP award.

His 22 yards per catch is an Irish record and he may unofficially be the fastest player ever to grace South Bend. Toss in 1,000 career yards in kick returns and this guy was as versatile as they come.

He was the deadliest playmaker in all of college football at the time and deserves to be rewarded.

Chance of Getting in: 95 percent

Jim Seymour, WR (1966-68)

He was a third-team AP All-American his sophomore year and made the cover of Time magazine with the “Baby Bombers”… a team that went on to win a national title.

At the time, being 6’4’’ and 205 pounds while possessing lighting fast speed was unheard of. For his career, he collected 2,113 yards and 16 TDs.

He was on the ballot last year and didn’t make the cut, and it’s hard to see things changing this time around despite being one of the true dominate forces of the sport in the late 60s.

Chance of Getting in: 30 Percent

Dave Casper, OL/Tight End (1971-73)

Now here is a throwback. An offensive lineman that played tight end should be good enough to get in on its own merit.

Casper did whatever the team asked of him and was a tri-captain on the ’73 national championship team. He had three catches for 73 yards in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama, including the infamous 30-yard catch in heavy traffic to set up the field goal that ultimately won the game.

Problem is, he only has 19 career catches as he spent the vast majority of his career on the offensive line—a position where stats don’t tell the story. His strength and blocking technique set him above the completion and the Fighting Irish’s running game was prolific because of it.

In a world of stats to judge players from other eras, it’s hard to imagine Casper getting the nod.

Chance of Getting in: 15 Percent