Roy Kramer nominated for College Football Hall of Fame
Roy Kramer had a storied career as Central Michigan's head football coach.
Kramer accumulated an 83-32-2 record while leading the Chippewas from 1967-77 and his win total ranks third in program history behind Herb Deromedi (110) and Bill Kelly (91). Kramer led the Chippewas to the Division II national championship in 1974 — the program's only national title.
In recognition of his accomplishments throughout his career, Kramer was nominated for the College Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2021 as a divisional coach, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced on June 16.
Kramer was named Division II Coach of the Year in 1974 after the Chippewas won 12 games. That single-season win total is tied for the most in program history, the 2009 team won 12 games on its way to the Mid-American Conference title.
While having coaching success, Kramer's players also had a lot of success as he coached 38 First-Team All-Conference selections.
After leaving CMU in 1977, Kramer spent 12 years as the athletic director at Vanderbilt, from 1977-1990. Then, Kramer took over as the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference in 1990 until he retired in 2002.
During his time as commissioner, the SEC added two members (South Carolina and Arkansas) and he guided the conference for its divisional play and the inaugural Division I-A conference football championship game. The annual Men's and Women's SEC Athlete of the Year award is presented as the Roy F. Kramer Award in his honor.
Kramer is widely recognized as the father of the Bowl Championship Series with his hand in boosting postseason play in college football.
Kramer was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 and the CMU Hall of Fame in 1987.
Deromedi is the only representative of CMU in the College Football Hall of Fame. Deromedi was inducted into the CMU Hall of Fame in 2000.
Founded by the NFF in 1947, the College Football Hall of Fame celebrates 1,027 of the approximate 5.4 million who have played college football in its 150-year history and 221 coaches who have earned the distinction.
According to the release, a coach becomes eligible three full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he is at least 70 years of age. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He must have been a head football coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.
The announcement of the Class of 2021 will be made early in 2021 and will be officially inducted Dec. 7, 2021, at the annual NFF Annual Awards Dinner. Inductees will also be celebrated during the 2021 season at their respective campuses.
The full list of nominees can be found in the NFF's release.
