NORFOLK, Va., Oct. 24, 2019—Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Commissioner Dr. Dennis E. Thomas has been named one of 26 finalists for the 2020 class of the Black College Football Hall of Fame (BCFHOF) as a contributor, as announced on Thursday.
Thomas, who is in his 18
th year as Commissioner for the MEAC, was the Director of Athletics at Hampton University from 1990-2002 and led the Pirates’ transition from Division II to Division I.
During his time as Commissioner, the conference office has seen nearly two decades of financial stability, strengthened institutional compliance and improved student-athlete graduation rates. The conference is also the 100 percent owner of its headquarters building in Norfolk, Va.
Dr. Thomas presented to ESPN the idea of a postseason bowl game between the MEAC and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) champions that evolved into the Celebration Bowl. During his tenure, the MEAC became the first FCS conference to institute instant replay.
He also played a major role in creating the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, which along with the Celebration Bowl bookends the black college football season.
The MEAC has also launched the MEAC Digital Network under Dr. Thomas’ leadership, streaming every conference football game not broadcast on a linear (TV) platform on ESPN3 and ESPN+. The MEAC has also produced a series of first-of-its-kind documentaries interviewing and highlighting HBCU football coaching legends.
Dr. Thomas was a standout at Alcorn State, twice earning First Team All-America honors from the
Pittsburgh Courier (1972, 1973) and he was the first and only offensive lineman to win the SWAC Offensive Player of the Year award in 1973.
Dr. Thomas was enshrined into the Alcorn State Hall of Fame in 2010 and the SWAC Hall of Fame in 2003. He was also inducted into the Hampton University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.
The finalists were selected from a field of over 150 nominees by a 12-member Selection Committee composed of prominent journalists, commentators, historians, former NFL general managers and football executives.
“It is no small feat to make it to this list. All these men are deserving of the recognition that comes with being inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame,” said James “Shack” Harris, Black College Football Co-Founder and 2012 Inductee. “On behalf of the Black College Football Hall of Fame’s trustees, congratulations to the Finalists for the Class of 2020.”
"The 2020 finalists are a microcosm of the talent that HBCUs have produced over the years and continue to produce. They represent the best of the best, and each year it becomes increasingly more difficult to narrow the field because there are so many worthy candidates.,” said Committee Chairman Roscoe Nance.
This year’s inductees will be announced on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019. They will be honored during the
Black College Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020 in Atlanta, Ga. For more information, please visit
www.BlackCollegeFootballHOF.org.
PLAYER FINALISTS (23 Players)
- Joe “747” Adams (QB, Tennessee State University, 1977-1980)
- Coy Bacon (DL, Jackson State University, 1964-1967)
- Dwaine Board (DE, North Carolina A&T State University, 1975-1978)
- Ben Coates (TE, Livingstone College, 1987-1990)
- Greg Coleman (P, Florida A&M University, 1972-1975)
- Clem Daniels (RB, Prairie View A&M University, 1956-1959)
- Kevin Dent (S, Jackson State University, 1985-1988)
- Donald Driver (WR, Alcorn State University, 1995-1998)
- Jimmie Giles (TE, Alcorn State University, 1973-1976)
- Earl “Air” Harvey (QB, North Carolina Central University, 1985-1988)
- James Hunter (DB, Grambling State University, 1972-1975)
- Richard Huntley (RB, Winston-Salem State University, 1992-1995)
- Henry Lawrence (OL, Florida A&M University, 1970-1973)
- Albert Lewis (DB, Grambling State University, 1979-1982
- Robert Mathis (LB, Alabama A&M University, 1999-2002)
- Tyrone McGriff (OL, Florida A&M University, 1976-1979)
- John “Big Train” Moody (RB, Morris Brown College, 1939-1941)
- Nate Newton (OL, Florida A&M University, 1979-1982)
- Jacquay Nunnally (WR, Florida A&M University, 1997-2000)
- Jake Reed (WR, Grambling State University, 1987-1990)
- Johnny Walton (QB, Elizabeth City State University, 1965-1968)
- Erik Williams (OL, Central State University, 1987-1990)
- Roynell Young (DB, Alcorn State University, 1976-1979)
COACH/CONTRIBUTOR FINALISTS (2 Coaches & 1 Contributor)
- Willard Bailey (Head Football Coach, Virginia Union 1971-1983 and 1995-2003; Norfolk State 1984-1992; St. Paul’s 2005-2010; Virginia-Lynchburg 2011-2013)
- Joe Taylor (Howard University 1983; Virginia Union 1984-1991; Hampton University 1992-2007; Florida A&M University 2008-2012)
- Dennis Thomas (Hampton University Director of Athletics 1990-2002; MEAC Commissioner 2002 – Present)
About the Black College Football Hall of Fame
The Black College Football Hall of Fame was founded in 2009 by African-American pioneers, quarterbacks James Harris and Doug Williams to preserve the history and honor the greatest football players, coaches and contributors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). There have been 84 Inductees since inception, including Mel Blount, James Harris, Willie Lanier, Art Shell and Doug Williams, who serve as Trustees.
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) begins its 49th year of intercollegiate competition heading into the 2019-20 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of 11 outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.