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The 2026 Class of the Black College Football Hall of Fame
The Black College Football Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2026, celebrating individuals who have made significant contributions to the sport through their excellence, leadership, and impact. Among those being inducted are Jimmy Smith, Tyrone Poole, and Nick Collins, who went on to standout NFL careers. The induction ceremony will take place on June 6 in Atlanta.
Other notable inductees include Eddie Robinson Jr., head coach of Alabama A&M, Rudy Hubbard, former Florida A&M coach, and Steve Wyche, an NFL Network contributor.
Doug Williams, co-founder of the Black College Football Hall of Fame and a 2011 inductee, expressed his admiration for the class: "What we have with the Class of 2026 is an incredible showcase of excellence, leadership and impact that continues to come from Historically Black Colleges and Universities."
Jimmy Smith: From Jackson State to the NFL
Jimmy Smith, now 56, was a standout receiver at Jackson State. As a junior, he became a starter and caught a team-high 40 passes for 877 yards (21.3-yard average) and nine touchdowns. His senior year saw him record 43 receptions for 801 yards and three TDs. Smith finished his career with 110 receptions, 2,073 yards, and 16 TDs. He was named to the Jackson State University All-Century team.
Smith was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round (36th overall) of the 1992 NFL Draft. However, it was with the Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-2005) that he made his biggest impact, catching 862 passes for 12,287 yards and 67 TDs in 171 regular-season games (150 starts). He was voted to five Pro Bowls and was second-team All-Pro in 1998 and 1999.
Eddie Robinson Jr.: A Legacy of Excellence
Eddie Robinson Jr., now 55, walked on at Alabama State and was a two-time All-Southwestern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He also earned Sheridan All-American honors and was the youngest inductee into the SWAC Hall of Fame at age 28.
Robinson played linebacker in the NFL for the Houston Oilers (1992-95), Jacksonville (1996-97), Tennessee Oilers/Titans (1998-2001), and Buffalo Bills (2002). He totaled 804 tackles, 23 sacks, six forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries, and six interceptions — one returned for a touchdown — in 175 regular-season games (163 starts).
He became head coach of his alma mater in November 2021, continuing his legacy of excellence in football.
Tyrone Poole: A Trailblazer in the NFL
Tyrone Poole, who will be 54 on Feb. 3, was a four-year starter at Fort Valley State and became the first player in school history to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft — 22nd overall by the Carolina Panthers in 1995.
Also a former track star, Poole was inducted into the NCAA Division II Football Hall of Fame and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Hall of Fame. He also received recognition from the Fort Valley State Black College Alumni Hall of Fame.
Poole played defensive back for the Carolina Panthers (1995-97), Indianapolis Colts (1998-2000), Denver Broncos (2002), New England Patriots (2003-05), Oakland Raiders (2006), and Tennessee (2008). He totaled 486 tackles, six sacks, 61 passes defended, and 18 interceptions.
Poole is currently in his first season as Alabama State’s women’s flag football coach.
Nick Collins: A Super Bowl Champion
Nick Collins, now 42, was a free safety at Bethune-Cookman and earned All-MEAC honors. He was inducted into the university’s athletics hall of fame.
The Green Bay Packers selected him in the second round of the 2005 draft. He played seven years in the NFL, all in Green Bay, and totaled 421 tackles, 68 passes defended, and 21 interceptions. A three-time Pro Bowl and three-time second-team All-Pro safety, Collins won a Super Bowl with the Packers in the 2010 season, returning an interception 37 yards for a touchdown in a 31-25 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rudy Hubbard: A Coaching Legend
Rudy Hubbard was Florida A&M’s head coach from 1974-85, compiling an 83-48-3 record that includes the inaugural NCAA Division I-AA championship in 1978 and back-to-back Black College national titles in 1977-78. His Rattlers also won five consecutive Orange Blossom Classic games (1974-78).
Hubbard was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2021. He played running back at Ohio State, earning letters in 1965-67, and later became the first African-American assistant coach on Woody Hayes’ staff.
Steve Wyche: A Voice in the NFL
Steve Wyche, 59, is the chief national reporter and senior NFL media analyst for NFL Network and NFL.com, where he has worked since 2008. A 1989 Howard University graduate with a degree in journalism, Wyche wrote for various daily newspapers including the Miami Herald, The Washington Post, and Atlanta Journal-Constitution before working as a correspondent for ESPN in 2007.
About the Black College Football Hall of Fame
The Black College Football Hall of Fame, founded in 2009, has a permanent home at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. The Class of 2026 will be recognized during halftime of the fifth annual HBCU Legacy Bowl on Feb. 21 at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans (4 p.m. ET, NFL Network).