Tuesday, 17 December 2024 02:36

The 2024 United States Athletics Hall of Fame Class has been Announced!

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The United States Athletics Hall of Fame is proud to announce the results of the 2024 Class.  This is a three-month vote open to the public where they could select 25 Athletes, 10 Coaches, and 10 Contributors.

The top 25 Athletes, top five Coaches, and top five Contributors were selected for the USAHOF Class of 2024.

This is the USAHOF’s second class, featuring athletes from ten different sports.

Here is the United States Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024 in order of their vote tallies:

Athletes:

  1. Mark Spitz (Swimming).  Spitz won nine Olympic Gold Medals, including seven at the 1972 Games in Munich.  The three-time World Swimmer of the Year also won 31 AAU Titles and five Pan American Gold Medals and brings swimming to the USAHOF.
  2. Bonnie Blair (Speed Skating).  Blair is the most accomplished female speed skater in American history, having won five Olympic Gold Medals in three Olympics (1988, 1992, & 1994).  She also won three World Championship Gold Medals and is the first speed skater to enter the Hall.
  3. John McEnroe (Tennis). The “Bad Boy of Tennis” won 77 Singles Titles, including seven Grand Slams.  McEnroe also won ten Grand Slam Doubles Titles and five Davis Cups.  He is the first men’s tennis player to join the USAHOF.
  4. Chris Evert (Tennis). Ranked #1 for #260 weeks, Evert won 157 Singles Titles, including 18 Grand Slams.  Evert also won three Grand Slam Doubles and eight Fed Cup Titles.
  5. Mike Tyson (Boxing).  Known as the “Baddest Man on the Planet,” Tyson was the most explosive boxer in Heavyweight history.  “Iron Mike” won his first World Heavyweight Title in 1986 at 20 and united the division a year later.  He had a 50-7-0-2 record with 44 KOs.
  6. Red Grange (Football). Grange was a National Champion and two-time All-American at the University of Illinois, and when the Halfback joined the Chicago Bears, he legitimized Professional Football.  He was an inaugural member of the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame.
  7. Nolan Ryan (Baseball). Ryan is the most prolific strikeout pitcher in Baseball history (5,714), and the eight-time All-Star also led his league in Strikeouts 11 times.  An All-Century player and first-ballot Baseball Hall of Famer, Ryan is also a member of the Los Angeles Angels, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers Hall of Fame.
  8. Oscar Robertson (Basketball). The original master of the triple-double, Robertson went to 12 All-Star Games and was the 1964 MVP and an NBA Champion with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971.  He was also a three-time All-American and Scoring Champion in the NCAA with the University of Cincinnati.
  9. Sammy Baugh (Football). One of the first great NFL Quarterbacks, Baugh won two NFL Championships with the Washington Redskins.  A four-time First Team All-Pro, Baugh led the NFL in Passing Yards four Times and Completion Percentage eight times.
  10. Otto Graham (Football). Graham quarterbacked the Cleveland Browns to all four AAFC Championships and continued that legacy when the Browns joined the NFL, where he won three Championships.  He was also a five-time league MVP.
  11. Don Hutson (Football). Hutson’s inclusion gives the USAHOF its first Wide Receiver (though they were called Ends then).  A three-time NFL Champion with the Green Bay Packers, Hutson was an eight-time First Team All-Pro, seven-time Receiving Yards leader, and was also a solid Defensive Back.
  12. Cy Young (Baseball).  A hurler so incredible that the Pitcher of the Year award is named after him, Cy Young holds the MLB record in Wins (511), won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 1903, and was named to the MLB All-Century Team. 
  13. Edwin Moses (Track and Field). The most accomplished hurdler in history, Moses had a nine-year streak where he did not lose a race.  Winning Gold in the 1976 and 1984 Olympics in the 400m hurdles, he likely would have won a third had the United States not boycotted the 1980 Games in Moscow.
  14. Ty Cobb (Baseball). Another member of the MLB All-Century Team, Cobb received the most votes in the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame Class in 1936.  An 11-time Batting Champion, Cobb had a lifetime Batting Average of .366, the highest in MLB history.
  15. Matt Biondi (Swimming). Biondi joins Spitz as the first swimmers in the USAHOF and enters with eight Olympic and six World Championship Gold Medals.
  16. Julius Erving (Basketball). The greatest player in ABA history, Erving won two ABA Titles with the New York Nets and three MVPs.  When the ABA merged with the NBA, Erving won an MVP in 1981 and an NBA Championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1982.  He is also a 16-time All-Star (NBA and ABA combined).
  17. Richard Petty (Auto Racing). Petty was named to the inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame Class (2010) and won 200 races and seven NASCAR Cup Series Championships.  
  18. A.J. Foyt (Auto Racing). Foyt won everywhere he went, including the Indianapolis 500 (four times), the Daytona 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  His career spanned a staggering 36 years. 
  19. Dorothy Hamill (Figure Skating).  Hamill won the 1976 Ladies Gold Medal in Figure Skating at the 1976 Olympics and became one of the most popular athletes in the world.  
  20. Peggy Flaming (Figure Skating).  Joining Hamill as the first Figure Skaters in the USAHOF, Fleming won Gold eight years before Hamill at the 1968 Olympics.  
  21. Rogers Hornsby (Baseball). Hornsby is also part of Major League Baseball’s All-Century Team and was a two-time MVP and Triple Crown winner.  The seven-time Batting Champion is part of the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals Halls of Fame.
  22. Florence Griffith-Joyner (Track and Field).  Flo-Jo was the fastest woman in the world, and her style still resonates today.  She won three Gold Medals at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
  23. Mario Andretti (Auto Racing). Andretti was one of the most gifted racers of all time who is known as one of the best IndyCar racers ever.  He won four IndyCar National Championships and, along with Petty and Foyt, brings Auto Racing to the USAHOF.
  24. Joe Frazier (Boxing).  Part of the talented crop of Heavyweight boxers in the 1970s, Joe Frazier won Gold at the 1964 Olympics and captured the Heavyweight Title in 1970.  He had a career record of 32-4-1 and 27 KOs.
  25. Johnny Unitas (Football).  Like last year with Joe Montana, the final entrant is a Quarterback.  Unitas won three NFL Championships and a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Colts and was a three-time MVP.  He also went to ten Pro Bowls, was a five-time First Team All-Pro, and led the NFL in Passing Yards and Touchdown Passes four times.

Coaches:

  1. Curly Lambeau (Football). Lambeau was named to the inaugural Pro Football Hall of Fame Class in 1963 and was Green Bay’s Head Coach for 30 years (1920-49), where he led the Packers to six NFL Championships.
  2. Paul Brown (Football). After leading Ohio State to a National Championship in 1942, he took on the role of Head Coach/GM/Part Owner of the Cleveland Browns of the AAFC.  Brown brought Cleveland to four AAFC Championships and three NFL Championships.  He would also coach the Cincinnati Bengals from their inauguration (1968) to 1975.  Brown also won multiple Coach of the Year Awards.
  3. Amos Alonzo Stagg (Football). Stagg was the Head Coach at the University of Chicago from 1892 to 1932 and won two National Championships and seven Western/Big Ten Titles.  He later coached at Pacific, winning five NCAC Championships.  In addition to his work in Football, Stagg also coached college baseball, basketball, and track.
  4. Walter Camp (Football). Camp is credited as the “Father of American Football,” and his inventions in the game helped grow it into what it is today.  He coached Yale (1888-1892) and Stanford (1892, 1894-95), won three National Championships, and had a record of 79-5-3.
  5. Joe Gibbs (Football). Gibbs is a two-time NFL Coach of the Year, led the Washington Redskins to three Super Bowl Championships, and was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary Team.  He also won five NASCAR Cup Series as an owner.

Contributors:

  1. Frank Zamboni (Hockey, Figure Skating). Zamboni’s creation of cleaning ice surfaces revolutionized all ice sports.  The “Zamboni” remains widely used today and is arguably the most helpful piece of sports equipment ever created.
  2. Dana White (Mixed Martial Arts). Initially the manager of Tito Ortiz and Chuck Lidell, White became synonymous with Mixed Martial Arts when he was installed as the President of UFC, a role he still holds today.  Under his watch, the UFC went from a company facing bankruptcy to an evaluation of over $10 billion.
  3. Ron Wolf (Football). Wolf was one of the top Scouts in Football who was integral in the initial success of the Oakland Raiders, where he won two Super Bowls.  Later, he revamped the Green Bay Packers in the 1990s as their General Manager, where he took them back to a Super Bowl win.
  4. Dr. James Andrews (Multiple Sports). A noted orthopedic surgeon, Andrews specialized sports medicine with repairing ligaments.  His clients are a who’s who of sports, and his work has extended many careers.
  5. Bill France Sr. (NASCAR). France Sr. was a race driver who organized the sport and was the inaugural and founder of NASCAR, the sanctioning body of stock car racing.

In the interest of transparency, here is the order of the Finalists who did not make the Class of 2024.

Athletes:

  1. Pete Rose (Baseball), 27. Walter Payton (Football), 28. Jerry Rice (Football), 29. Honus Wagner (Baseball), 30. Ken Griffey Jr. (Baseball), 31. Dale Earnhardt (Auto Racing), 32. Jack Johnson (Boxing), 33. Kristi Yamaguchi (Figure Skating), 34. Eric Heiden (Speed Skating), 35. Arthur Ashe (Tennis), 36. Rocky Marciano (Boxing), 37. Pete Sampras (Tennis), 38. Mia Hamm (Soccer), 39. Josh Gibson (Baseball), 40. Scott Hamilton (Figure Skating), 41. Tony Hawk (Skateboarding), 42. Mickey Mantle (Baseball), 43. Sugar Ray Leonard (Boxing), 44. Billie Jean King (Tennis), 45. Jackie Joyner-Kersee (Track and Field), 46. Wilma Rudolph (Track and Field), 47. Reggie White (Football), 48. Andre Agassi (Tennis), 49. Rickey Henderson (Baseball), 50. Althea Gibson (Tennis), 51. Bob Gibson (Baseball), 52. Barry Sanders (Football), 53. Bob Cousy (Basketball), 54. Lawrence Taylor (Football), 55. Joe Greene (Football), 56. Sandy Koufax (Baseball), 57. Sam Snead (Golf), 58. Jack Dempsey (Boxing), 59. Jimmy Connors (Tennis), 60. Walter Johnson (Baseball), 61. Satchel Paige (Baseball), 62. Shaquille O’Neal (Basketball), 63. Dick Butkus (Football), 64. Stan Musial (Baseball), 65. Joan Benoit (Track and Field), 66. Barry Bonds (Baseball), 67. Caitlyn Bruce Jenner (Track and Field), 68. Greg Maddux (Baseball), 69. Dan Marino (Football), 70. George Foreman (Boxing), 71. John Elway (Football), 72. Michael Johnson (Track and Field), 73. Emmitt Smith (Football), 74. Mary Lou Retton (Gymnastics), 75. Sugar Ray Robinson (Boxing), 76. Earl Anthony (Bowling), 77. Lisa Leslie (Basketball), 78. Greg Louganis (Diving), 79. Frank Robinson (Baseball), 80. Deion Sanders (Football), 81. Yogi Berra (Baseball), 82. Bo Jackson (Football and Baseball), 83. Dan Gable (Wrestling), 84. Dara Torres (Swimming), 85. Elgin Baylor (Basketball), 86. Wyomia Tyus (Track and Field), 87. Michelle Akers (Soccer), 88. Gail Devers (Track and Field), 89. Cheryl Miller (Basketball), 90. Jeff Gordon (Auto Racing), 91. Jerry West (Basketball), 92. Eddie Arcaro (Horse Racing), 93. Bobby Jones (Golf), 94. Mickey Wright (Golf), 95. Gale Sayers (Football), 96. Bob Beamon (Track and Field), 97. Dick Button (Figure Skating), 98. Christy Mathewson (Baseball), 99. Randy Couture (Mixed Martial Arts), 100. Mark Allen (Triathlete), 101. George Mikan (Basketball), 102. Earl Campbell (Football), 103. Brandi Chastain (Soccer), 104. Ben Hogan (Golf), 105. Ray Ewry (Track and Field), 106. Greg LeMond (Cycling), 107. Dawn Staley (Basketball), 108. Cynthia Cooper (Basketball), 109. Al Oerter (Track and Field), 110. Dennis Conner (Sailing), 111. Evelyn Ashford (Track and Field), 112. Chris Chelios (Hockey), 113. Chuck Lidell (Mixed Martial Arts), 114. Bill Shoemaker (Horse Racing), 115. Willie Mosconi (Pool), 116. Sheryl Swoopes (Basketball), 117. Tracie Ruiz (Synchronized Swimming), 118. Henry Armstrong (Boxing), 119. Rafer Johnson (Track and Field), 120. Debbie Meyer (Swimming), 121. George Blanda (Football), 122. Tracy Caulkins (Swimming), 123. Kathy Whitworth (Golf), 124. Phil Mahre (Skiing), 125. Bob Mathias (Track and Field), 126. Nancy Lopez (Golf), 127. Save Scott (Triathlon), 128. Bill Tilden (Tennis), 129. Brett Hull (Hockey), 130. Don Budge (Tennis), 131. Mike Modano (Hockey).

Coaches:

  1. Pat Summit (Basketball), 7. Bob Johnson (Hockey), 8. Eddie Robinson (Football), 9. Paul “Bear” Bryant (Football), 10. Tony Dungy (Football), 11. Phil Jackson (Basketball), 12. Lou Holtz (Football), 13. Don Shula (Football), 14. Mike Krzyzewski (Basketball), 15. Adolph Rupp (Basketball), 16. Pop Warner (Football), 17. Bobby Cox (Baseball), 18. Bobby Knight (Basketball), 19. Connie Mack (Baseball), 20. Ara Parseghian (Football), 21. Gregg Popovich (Basketball), 22. Knute Rockne (Football), 23. Pat Riley (Basketball), 24. Cus D’Amato (Boxing), 25. Tommy Lasorda (Baseball), 26. Phog Allen (Basketball), 27. Bill Walsh (Football), 28. Fielding Yost (Football), 29. Leo Durocher (Baseball), 30. Nick Saban (Football), 31. Dean Smith (Basketball), 32. Tom Landry (Football), 33. Ed Temple (Track and Field), 34. John Heisman (Football), 35. John Madden (Football), 36. Casey Stengel (Baseball), 37. Chuck Noll (Football), 38. Sparky Anderson (Baseball), 39. Bud Grant (Football), 40. John McGraw (Baseball), 41. Geno Auriemma (Basketball), 42. Bobby Bowden (Football), 43. Joe McCarthy (Baseball), 44. John Thompson (Basketball), 45. Walter Alston (Baseball), 46. Chuck Daly (Basketball), 47. Tom Flores (Football), 48. Jimmy Johnson (Football), 49. Hayden Fry (Football), 50. George Allen (Football), 51. Carlo Fassi (Figure Skating), 52. Bucky Harris (Baseball), 53. Joe Paterno (Football), 54. Jim Boeheim (Basketball), 55. Bill Cowher (Football), 56. Weeb Ewbank (Football), 57. Henry Iba (Basketball), 58. Tom Heinsohn (Basketball), 59. Candy Jim Taylor (Baseball), 60. Tom Osborne (Football), 61. Woody Hayes (Football), 62. Mack Brown (Football), 63. George Karl (Basketball), 64. Roy Williams (Basketball), 65. Don Nelson (Basketball), 66. Don Nelson (Basketball), 67. C. Vivian Stringer (Basketball), 68. Frank Leahy (Football), 69. Red Holzman (Basketball), 70. Ron O’Brien (Diving), 71. Abie Grossfeld (Gymnastics), 72. John Chaney (Basketball), 73. Lenny Wilkens (Basketball), 74. Joe Torre (Baseball), 75. Bo Schembechler (Football), 76. Marv Levy (Football), 77. Jack Ramsay (Basketball), 78. Lou Duva (Boxing), 79. Bill Fitch (Basketball), 80. Steve Spurrier (Football), 81. Rudy Tomjanovich (Basketball), 82. Lute Olson (Basketball), 83. Eddie Sutton (Basketball), 84. Whitey Herzog (Baseball), 85. Bill Self (Basketball), 86. Jerry Tarkanian (Basketball), 87. Tony LaRussa (Baseball), 88. Ned Hanlon (Baseball), 89. Dick Williams (Baseball), 90. Urban Meyer (Football), 91. Bob Huggins (Basketball), 92. Pete Newell (Basketball), 93. Jim Tressel (Football), 94. John Tortorella (Hockey), 95. John McKay (Football), 96. Earl Weaver (Baseball), 97. Jerry Sloan (Basketball), 98. Bo Ryan (Basketball), 99. Howard Jones (Football), 100. Jim Valvano (Basketball), 101. Miller Huggins (Baseball), 102. Jody Conradt (Basketball), 103. Eddie Futch (Boxing), 104. Jim Calhoun (Basketball), 105. Lefty Driesell (Basketball), 106. Barry Switzer (Football), 107. Larry Brown (Basketball), 108. Rick Pitino (Basketball), 109. Sid Gillman (Football), 110. Bill Snyder (Football), 111. Hank Stram (Football), 112. Emmanuel Steward (Boxing), 113. Al Lopez (Baseball), 114. John Kundla (Basketball), 115. Bill Sharman (Basketball), 116. Bill McKechnie (Baseball), 117. Darrell Royal (Football), 118. Frank Selee (Baseball), 119. Billy Southworth (Baseball), 120. Tara VanDerveer (Basketball), 121. Freddie Roach (Boxing), 122. Bud Wilkinson (Football).

Contributors.

  1. Jack Kent Cooke (Football, Basketball & Hockey), 7. Ralph Hay (Football), 8. Mike Ilitch (Hockey and Baseball), 9. Bert Bell (Football), 10. Rube Foster (Baseball), 11. Ford Frick (Baseball), 12. Walter O’Malley (Baseball), Seymour Siwoff (Football and Baseball), 13. Bill Nunn (Football), 14. Art Rooney (Football), 15. Ed Sabol (Football), 16. Robert Kraft (Football), 17. Bud Adams (Football), 18. Wayne Embry (Basketball), 19. Jerry Buss (Basketball), 20. Dick Ebersol (Television), 21. Marvin Miller (Baseball), 22. Roone Arledge (Television), 23. James E. Norris (Hockey), 24. Al Spalding (Baseball), 25. James E. Sullivan (Amateur Sports), 26. Larry MacPhail (Baseball), 27. George Steinbrenner (Baseball), 28. Bucko Kilroy (Football), 29. Walter A. Brown (Basketball and Hockey), 30. Don King (Boxing), 31. Larry O’Brien (Basketball), 32. Wellington Mara (Football), 33. Steve Sabol (Football), 34. Ban Johnson (Baseball), 35. Lou Lamoriello (Hockey), 36. Bobby Beathard (Football), 37. Dan Rooney (Football), 38. Bill Veeck (Baseball), 39. Effa Manley (Baseball), 40. Gil Brandt (Football), 41. Clark Griffith (Baseball), 42. Lee MacPhail (Baseball), 43. Mark Cuban (Basketball), 44. Peter Ueberroth (Baseball and Olympics), 45. Bob Arum (Boxing), 46. Dan Reeves (Football), 47. Weston Adams (Hockey), 48. Paul Tagliabue (Football), 49. Ted Turner (Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, Goodwill Games and Television), 50. Bill James (Baseball), 51. Bud Greenspan (Filmmaker), 52. Avery Brundage (Olympics), 53. Eddie DeBartolo Jr. (Football), 54. Amy Trask (Football), 55. Jerry Jones (Football), 56. Pat Bowlen (Football), 57. Bill Polian (Football), 58. Jerry Colangelo (Basketball), 59. Jim Finks (Football), 60. Jerry Krause (Basketball), 61. Mitch Kupchak (Basketball), 62. Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta, 63. Charles Bidwill (Football), 64. Jerry Reinsdorf (Basketball and Baseball), 65. Joe Carr (Football), 66. Billy Beane (Baseball), 67. Paul Allen (Football and Basketball), 68. Ned Irish (Basketball), 69. Ralph Wilson (Football), 70. Pat Gillick (Baseball), 71. Tim Mara (Football), 72. Tex Schramm (Football), 73. Arthur Wirtz (Hockey), 74. J. Walter Kennedy (Basketball), 75. Max Winter (Football), 76. Craig Patrick (Hockey), 77. Leroy T. Walker (Track and Field), 78. Clint Murchison (Football), 79. Jack McCloskey (Basketball), 80. Tex Rickard (Boxing and Hockey), 81. Joe Dey (Golf), 82. Tim Nugent (Wheelchair Basketball), 83. Art McNally (Football), 84. George Young (Football), 85. George Weiss (Baseball), 86. Peter Holt (Basketball), 87. Maurice Podoloff (Basketball), 88. Ed Barrow (Baseball), 89. Will Harridge (Baseball), 90. Frederic McLaughlin (Hockey), 91. Warren Giles (Baseball), 92. Jeremy Jacobs (Hockey), 93. Tim Finchem (Golf).

Moving forward, we will send ballots internally to the United States Athletics Hall of Fame Committee members to replace the names that have been inducted.  Based on their responses, we will publicly unveil the USAHOF Class of 2025 Ballot for your vote on March 1, 2025.  

The Class of 2025 will be announced on November 1, 2025, where the top 25 Athletes, five Coaches, and five Contributors will be named to the USAHOF.

We thank you all for your support and welcome your feedback.

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