College Football Hall of Fame 2012: No Excuse for Tommie Frazier Snub

The 2012 College Football Hall of Fame class is official (from ESPN). Thirteen players from the 76-man ballot were selected by voters (Otis Armstrong of Purdue was the only Big Ten player chosen), but one name that wasn't called was that of Tommie Frazier, former Nebraska quarterback.

Look, we've already made the case for Frazier. He deserves to be in, and on the merits of his college football career, he will never not deserve to be in.

But we get it—sometimes there are perfectly reasonable external factors that can lead to delays in this process.

Oh, wait—no there aren't. Not in this instance. The excuses are weak and invalid, and here's why.

ESPN Rule Says Two Players from Same School Can't Be Inducted in Consecutive Years

That would be a great excuse, except for two problems.

First, that rule isn't listed anywhere in the NFF's list of voting rules and procedures, and it didn't stop guys like Frazier or Derrick Thomas or Orlando Pace from being nominated.

Second, if that's an actual rule, it's either remarkably new or not really a rule, because USC got players inducted in six straight years, from 2000 to 2005: Marcus Allen, Joe Arnett, Ronnie Lott, Ricky Bell, Charles Young and Anthony Davis.

It's Not "His Time" Yet

Former KSU linebacker Mark Simoneau didn't start playing college football until after Frazier's career was over. He was inducted today. He was great and he deserved induction, but let's not pretend there's some mandatory cooling-off period. If someone's on the ballot, they're a candidate for induction, period.

He Didn't Win the Heisman Trophy

There are well over 800 players in the College Football Hall of Fame and fewer than 75 Heisman Trophy winners. That Frazier was even a runner-up for that 1995 Heisman Trophy (which, let's be honest, he deserved) would put him in one of the highest echelons of the HOF.

Perhaps He Hasn't Done Enough off the Field

O.J. Simpson is still a member of the College Football Hall of Fame in good standing.

So what's the deal?