University of Southern Mississippi M-Club Sports Hall of Fame Selection and Induction Process

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1 University of Southern Mississippi M-Club Sports Hall of Fame Selection and Induction Process The University of Southern Mississippi M-Club Sports Hall of Fame is an institution established to honor those who, through their performance as athletes, have brought special honor or acclaim to themselves and to The University of Southern Mississippi. There are some exceptions for honoring non-athletes who have gained acclaim by having served The University of Southern Miss athletics in some other extraordinary way. To be elected to the Hall of Fame, an individual should also be represented as of good character and as a good citizen. Former letter-earning athletes become eligible for HOF consideration five years after their career as a Southern Miss athlete has ended. HALL OF FAME COMMITTEE The Hall of Fame Process will be overseen by a five-person committee called the Hall of Fame Committee and will be constituted as follows (five positions on the committee): 1. Position #1 Committee Chairman: This position will automatically be filled by the President-elect of the M-Club and, by that office being a two-year office, this position will also automatically be a two-year position. First automatic term to expire April 1, Position #2, to be appointed from the M-Club Board by the President for a twoyear term. Initially, this position will be appointed for one year with the term to expire April 1, (Following that, a two-year appointment will expire April 1, 2009.) 3. Position #3, to be a member of the M-Club Board and to be selected by the Board to serve a three-year term. Initially, this position would be appointed for one year with the term to expire April 1, (Following that, a three-year appointment will expire April 1, 2010.) 4. Position #4, to be an M-Club member, but not a Board member, to be appointed by the President to serve a three-year term. Initially, this position will be appointed for two years with the term to expire April 1, (Following that, a three-year appointment will expire April 1, 2011.) 5. Position #5, to be a member of the Athletic Department, including Sports Information, or Coaching Staff, as recommended by the Athletic Director to serve a three-year term. First term to expire April 1, Committee-years, April-to-April, are set to match the M-Club Office-years of April-to-April. By staggering the length of the terms and the termination dates of the terms, no more than two members terms will expire in any one year. 1

2 Members can be reappointed to the committee. Vacant positions will be filled for the unexpired terms by the assigned appointees for that position. HALL OF FAME COMMITTEE SECRETARY The M-Club Membership Coordinator (Buddy Long) will serve as Hall of Fame Committee Secretary and accumulate and maintain records and information of persons nominated or otherwise considered, voted on, elected or not elected, inducted or not inducted. The M-Club Secretary (Lynn McLelland) and/or other elected officers may receive written nominations and forward them to HOF Secretary. HALL OF FAME COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN The President-elect of the M-Club shall serve as the Chairman of the HOF Committee. In the Chairman s absence, the Hall of Fame Committee may elect a Vice or Acting Chairman from among their numbers. HALL OF FAME COMMITTEE S DUTIES The Hall of Fame Committee s job duties will include the following: 1. Create and maintain a list, by sport, of all athletes who have lettered in each sport during the last 35 years. 2. See that all deserving former athletes are appropriately considered for the Hall of Fame and that adequate numbers of quality athletes are nominated and considered. 3. Establish internal rules and practices for the HOF process, at the same time, being sure that they adhere to all other rules included elsewhere in the Selection and Induction Process. The Committee may establish a 1 to 10 grading system wherein each person recommended is considered based on available criteria. 4. The HOF Committee will consider (within the Selection and Induction rules ) all available previously-nominated-but-not-elected persons and would add to that all new nominees recommended. 5. The HOF Committee may recommend carrying forward runners-up from the previous year. 6. From all sources, the HOF Committee will recommend a pool for the Board to use in recommending a slate. 7. The Hall of Fame Committee will serve year-round, inviting and receiving nominations, both from outside and from within the Committee. Nominations from outside (meaning from outside the Committee), will be accepted through May 31, for election in that year and induction in the following year. 8. The Hall of Fame Committee will notify all persons nominated of their nomination and invite them to submit personal information in writing supporting their nomination. The HOF Committee may also request information on any candidate(s) from the Athletic Sports Information office, from coaches, or any other source. However, the Committee will not be required or expected to 2

3 discover, research and collect this information themselves, though they have that option. 9. The HOF Committee will present their recommendations to the M-Club Board at the June Board meeting. 10. There are three processes wherein a person can be elected to the HOF and the HOF Committee has the prerogative to offer or deny their recommendation in any of these categories. ADDITIONAL CRITERIA CONSIDERED When a person s criteria is presented to the Committee, to the M-Club Board, or to the M-Club membership for balloting, it should be shown whether or not the person is 1) An active (paid dues) M-Club member; 2) An active (paid dues) Southern Mississippi Alumni Association member; and, 3) An active (paid dues) Eagle Club member. HALL OF FAME IS A POSITION OF TRUST The Hall of Fame Committee and the M-Club Board should feel a distinct burden to recommend only deserving persons for the Hall of Fame and should likewise feel a burden to see that all deserving persons are considered and recommended for election to the HOF. THREE REQUIRED PROCESSES FOR MEMBERSHIP IN HOF There are three essential steps to becoming a member of The University of Southern Mississippi M-Club Hall of Fame. These are; 1) Nomination, 2) Election, 3) Induction. All three must be completed in order to be a recognized member of the HOF. THREE ROUTES TO ELECTION TO THE HOF There are three processes wherein persons are elected to The University of Southern Mississippi M-Club Sports Hall of Fame: I. The Conventional Process is the primary method of selecting a person for membership into the HOF. This is an open process wherein anyone can nominate a former athlete by submitting their name and supporting information about them. For the Conventional Process, the Hall of Fame Committee is the first level of consideration, the M-Club Board is the second level of consideration and the Active (dues-paying) M-Club membership is the final determiner of who goes into the Hall of Fame. All Conventional Process recommendations must be channeled through the HOF Committee. A) Nominations are accepted only in writing but from anyone at any time. Essential information is the sport played, years they played and years they 3

4 lettered, personal biographical information and some information describing the achievements that qualify them for the HOF. B) To enhance the nomination, it is requested that you include information on high school, college and professional athletic career, schools, places, sports, years played and lettered, honors received, career other than athletics, lifetime achievements and career honors, military service, community and church service and honors, service to University of Southern Mississippi and information on immediate family. C) After nominations are received by the M-Club, they should be forwarded to the HOF Committee for their attention, consideration and evaluation. D) The Hall of Fame Committee as a group will evaluate nominees and vote as needed and make recommendations in writing to the M-Club Board as to a pool of nominees. They should not recommend for the Board s consideration more than twice the number allowable on the ballot. (For example, for football, 10 names can go on the ballot, so don t bring the Board more than 20 to consider. Also, they can bring as few as 10.). E) Each member of the HOF Committee is free to and indeed encouraged to offer their own nominations, in any of the four categories. F) For voting purposes, nominees are divided into four categories: (A) Football, (B) Men s Basketball and Baseball, (C) Women s Sports, and (D) Other Men s Sports. G) The M-Club Board examines the pool of names presented them by the HOF Committee and decides which nominations will appear on the ballot. The HOF ballots are mailed to Paid M-Club members to vote in writing by mail. Ballots are received by the M-Club Secretary and tabulation of ballots is done by the Secretary and at least one other Board member, as approved by the President. Active (Paid) M-Club members elect former athletes to the HOF. H) Nominations from outside (meaning outside the committee) must be received in writing by the M-Club office by May 31, in order to be considered by the Board for inclusion on that year s ballot and election and induction the following year. The committee will not be required to consider any nominations received after May 31, until the following year. I) The M-Club Board will receive recommendations in time to present in writing (to each individual Board member), the list of candidates to the Board at the June Board meeting. After this, the M-Club Board should allow at least 30 days for the members to consider the individuals nominated before voting. J) At, no later than the August M-Club Board meeting, the M-Club Board will consider and determine which nominations are to be listed on this year s ballot. K) The Board will decide by vote on persons to place on the ballot for the Paid membership to vote on and will prepare a ballot containing the following numbers by category: 4

5 1) (A) Football Ten (10) names with each member to vote for two (2) people. 2) (B) Men s Basketball and Baseball Five (5) names with each member to vote for one (1) person. 3) (C) Women s Sports Five (5) names with each member to vote for one (1) person. 3) (D) Other Men s Sports (Track, Tennis, Golf) Five (5) names with each member to vote for one (1) person. No more than five (5) people are to be elected by this process annually. L) At the discretion of the Hall of Fame Committee and with the approval of the Board, runners-up from the previous year can be carried forward. The Committee shall have discretion of deciding which persons previously nominated or previously on the ballot, including runners-up, to recommend placing on the ballot again. (The Committee and the Board have the prerogative of not including on the ballot a runner-up from the prior year s ballot should they deem that inappropriate.) M) Being properly nominated does not assure a place on the ballot. Some examples of reasons for this are; The Board believes they do not qualify as former letterwinner athletes in any sport, they do not qualify as to character or citizenship, or because they are not active (dues-paying) M- Club members, Southern Miss Alumni members or Southern Miss supporters. The HOF Committee has the initial discretion and the M-Club Board has final discretion in the decision as to who goes on the ballot. N) Ballots are mailed to Active (Paid) members some time after September 1, requesting that members vote and have them back to the M-Club office on a date to be set no more than thirty (30) days from date of mailing. O) Within ten (10) days of the deadline for receiving cast ballots, a tabulation committee appointed by the President shall tabulate the ballots and advise the President of the results. The President will notify other officers and Board members and will authorize notification of those elected. P) Persons elected to the HOF shall be contacted and asked to confirm whether or not they can accept the honor and attend the HOF Induction Ceremony to be held the following spring, generally in April. If a person says they can t attend or won t attend for any reason, they are not to be inducted. If an elected person can t or won t give an affirmative answer to attending, the Board will make a decision as to whether or not to include them for induction. Q) Persons elected to the HOF will normally be announced and introduced at the Homecoming football game (or if necessary, some home game other than homecoming) during the football season they are elected. (When they are notified of their election, they should also be invited (RSVP) to attend Homecoming to be introduced, but attendance for introduction does not prohibit induction.) 5

6 R) Persons who are elected and presented for introduction into the HOF but fail to attend the Induction Ceremony can be stricken from the HOF membership list. The Board will decide whether or not an elected person who fails to show should be given another opportunity or whether they should be immediately or permanently excluded. S) Persons chosen posthumously or who decease after being duly elected to the HOF, are inducted at the duly appointed induction ceremony. T) Persons who, in the opinion of the Board, have justifiable reasons not to attend their scheduled induction ceremony, whether their circumstance included prior notification or not, can be inducted absentee. Examples of such circumstance include illness of the elected person or a family member. There could be other fortuitous events for justifiable exceptions, but the Board is the official and final authority. (Without justification and acceptable explanation, these individuals can also be rejected for induction as respects both then and later.) II. There is an alternative route to being selected to the HOF and that is by the Veterans Committee Recommendation Process. Persons recommended for election via this process need not be considered by the HOF Committee, but the Committee needs to be aware of the recommendation in order to coordinate their consideration with the Conventional Process consideration. In this process, a five-board-member Veterans Committee (appointed by the President annually) is responsible for identifying and recommending up to three people to the Board for that body to consider electing to the HOF. These candidates must have participated as athletes 25 or more years ago. This is a method wherein a deserving former athlete who is not likely to be elected by the conventional process can be elected to the HOF. These are generally people whom the committee and the Board deem to be deserving to be in the HOF but who, for one or more reasons, would not be elected otherwise. Examples of this could be; a) because of time and circumstances, they are not readily remembered today, b) because their play and/or position played, though outstanding, did not get them sufficient acclaim, c) who, in addition to having been good athletes who played and earned varsity letters, have made extraordinary contributions to either The University of Southern Mississippi, the University Athletic Program, the M-Club, or who have made outstanding achievements and accomplishments in life otherwise. The Board can elect one (1) person each year by this process. However, should the Board deem appropriate, they can reject all such recommendations. These people are elected solely by the Board, by secret ballot, but to full membership in the HOF. Persons recommended for consideration through the Veterans Committee should be presented to the M-Club Board in writing, at the June meeting, thereby giving the individual Board members at least 30 days to consider them before voting. 6

7 III. IV. Another alternative method of being selected to the HOF is by Special Election by the Board Process. Persons recommended for election in this process need not be considered by the HOF Committee. This is an option for situations where the Board feels that an individual is deserving and should be elected to the HOF but is not a former letterwinner athlete or would otherwise not qualify. Examples of this are Varsity Coaches, University Administrators, Athletic Department officials, Trainers, and Equipment Managers. The merit of these individuals as potential HOF members is brought to the attention of the Board by any Board member and they are voted on by that body. Not more than one (1) person can be elected by this process each year. The Board can reject any and all such recommendations as it deems appropriate. Those chosen by this process are elected solely by the Board by secret ballot, but to full membership in the HOF. Persons recommended for consideration via the Special Election by the Board Process should be presented to the M-Club Board in writing at the June meeting, thereby giving the individual Board members at least 30 days to consider them before voting. In considering Hall of Fame nominations, either for Process I (Conventional) Ballot or for Process II (Veterans Committee), the HOF Committee and the M-Club Board may give priority to Active M-Club Members. While there is no absolute requirement that a HOF member be a current Active (duespaying) member, with everything else being equal or nearly equal, nominees who are current, dues-wise, are likely to receive preference over a person who does not pay their annual M-Club dues. This will not apply in the case of a deceased person and could weigh less in the case of Process Number III, where a person may not be eligible for M-Club Membership or may not be aware that they are eligible for M-Club Membership. The President, with the Board s approval, shall schedule and plan the Induction Ceremony to accommodate as much as possible, M-Club members, inductees, university athletic activities and other events that might be on the calendar. 7

8 Study Committee The Committee named below recommends that the M-Club Board adopt the report above and amend the Hall of Fame rules accordingly. Joe Bryant Teeny Coats Shirley Jones-Hill Mike Landrum Earl Marshall Doug Munn Vic Purvis Ken Shearer Ben Willoughby Voted on as amended and approved by the M-Club Board on the 8 th February, day of Signed Richard Johnston President, M-Club Lynn McLelland Secretary, M-Club 8