- LeBron James nominated for the National High School Football Hall of Fame
- Class of 2025 to be revealed in December in Canton.
LeBron James is a surprise nominee for the National High School Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.
Before he was a global basketball icon, James played football in addition to basketball at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.
Canton Central Catholic fans recall him as a big-play receiver who had a pivotal role in STVM’s 38-31 win over the Crusaders in the third round of the 2001 playoffs. It was James’ next-to-last football game before he pivoted to basketball as his only sport.
The NHSFHOF inducted its inaugural class in Canton in 2023. The group says it is in talks with Hall of Fame Village to establish a permanent relationship with Canton. There is no connection with the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The NHSFHOF plans to announce its Class of 2025 on Dec. 3 in Canton. The class will include 15 new members from 65 nominees.
Nominees who became big-name pros after high school include assorted Pro Football Hall of Famers such as Leroy Kelly, Deion Sanders, Joe Namath, Ray Lewis, Dan Marino, Barry Sanders, John Elway, Troy Aikman, Jerome Bettis, Lawrence Taylor and Emmitt Smith.
Nominees well known in Stark County include former McKinley players Percy Snow and Antonio Hall, and late Massillon coach Lee Tressel. The McKinley program is also a candidate as a team.
Two other former Akron-area stars among the candidates are Mike Vrabel (Walsh Jesuit) and Antoine Winfield (Garfield), who each went on to star at Ohio State and in the NFL.
Other former Ohio State stars on the list are Tom Couisineau, Cris Carter, Troy Smith and Luke Fickell. They are joined by former Cleveland Browns Hanford Dixon, Frank Minnifield and Tim Couch.
The wide-ranging list also features multi-sport star Bo Jackson and Democratic Gov. Minnesota Tim Walz, who is a vice-presidential candidate.
And James is not the only basketball legend to be a candidate for the class. Also among the 65 is Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Allen Iverson, who was standout quarterback in high school.
James talked about his STVM playing days on ESPN2 in a 2021 conversation with Peyton Manning.
“If I would have had a better quarterback in high school, I might have continued to play football,” James said. “But I took way too many hits, and that led me to the basketball court.”
Enshrinement events are scheduled for June 12-14 in Canton.
National High School Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 player candidates
- CB Deion Sanders, North Fort (Fort Myers, FL.)
- QB Joe Namath, Beaver Falls (Beaver Falls, PA)
- RB, LB Jason Kelce, Cleveland Heights (Cleveland, OH)
- QB Cam Newton, Westlake (Atlanta, GA)
- LB, RB Ray Lewis, Kathleen (Lakeland, FL)
- QB Dan Marino, Central Catholic (Pittsburgh, PA)
- RB Barry Sanders, Wichita North (Wichita, KS)
- RB LeRoy Kelly, Gratz (Philadelphia, PA)
- QB James Harris, Carroll (Carroll, LA)
- RB Jerry Jones, North Little Rock (Little Rock, AK)
- DT Ed Collins, Cass Tech (Detroit, MI)
- RB Mark Ingram, Jr, Flint Southwestern (Flint, MI)
- QB Vince Young, Madison (Houston, TX)
- QB Troy Aikman, Henryetta (Henryetta, OK)
- RB Don Shula, Harvey (Painesville, OH)
- WR LeBron James, St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, OH)
- QB Tim Couch, Leslie County (Hyden, KY)
- TE Shannon Sharpe, Glennville (Glennville, GA)
- RB,QB,LB Sterling Sharpe, Glennville (Glennville, GA)
- RB Herschel Walker, Johnson County (Wrightsville, GA)
- RB Bo Jackson, McAdory (McCalla, AL)
- RB Emmitt Smith, Escambia (Pensacola, Fla.)
- QB John Elway, Granada Hills (Calif.)
- WR Cris Carter, Middletown (Ohio)
- RB Tony Dorsett, Hopewell (Aliquippa, Pa.)
- RB Jerome Bettis, Mackenzie (Detroit, MI)
- QB Allen Iverson, Bethel (Hampton, VA)
- LB Tom Cosineau, St. Edward (Lakewood, OH)
- LB Percy Snow, McKinley (Canton, OH)
- LB Clay Matthews, Jr., New Trier (Palo Alto, CA)
- Team Valdosta (Valdosta, GA)
- Team McKinley (Canton, OH)
- RB Earl Campbell, Tyler (Tyler, TX)
- WR Randy Moss, Dupont (Belle, WV)
- QB Dante Wiley, Jeannette (Jeannette, PA)
- OL Antonio Hall, McKinley (Canton, OH)
- RB Julius Peppers, Southern Nash (Baily, NC)
- LB Tom Cousineau, St. Edward (Lakewood, OH)
- QB Tim Tebow, Nease (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL)
- QB Warren Moon, Hamilton (Los Angeles, CA)
- LB Lawrence Taylor, Lafayette (Williamsburg, VA)
- Richard Dent, J.C. Murphy (Atlanta, GA)
- QB Troy Smith, Glenville (Cleveland, OH)
- CB Antoine Winfield Sr., Garfield (Akron, OH)
- RB Bob Sebo, Salem (Salem, OH)
- DE Mike Vrabel, Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, OH)
- DE Luke Fickell, St. Francis DeSales (Columbus, OH)
- Coach Gary Rankin, Alcoa (Knoxville, TN)
- DB Hanford Dixon, Theodore (Theodore, AL)
- DB Frank Minnifield, Clay (Lexington, KY)
- RB Henry Butler, University School (Shaker Heights, OH)
- DT Andre Smith, John F. Kennedy (Cleveland, OH)
- DT Virgil Walker, East Tech (Cleveland, OH)
- QB Steve Atwater, Lutheran North (St. Louis, MO)
- DE Donnell Thompson, Lumberton (Lumberton, NC)
- RB Tyrone Wheatley Sr., Hamilton J. Robichaud (Dearborn Heights, MI)
- QB Zack Washington, Sr., Jeannette (Jeannette, PA)
National High School Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 coach/contributor candidates
- Tim Walz (Alliance, NE)
- Lee Tressel (Massillon, OH)
- John McKissick (South Carolina)
- John T. Curtis, Jr. (New Orleans, LA)
- Gary Rankin (Knoxville, TN)
- Mickey Sullivan (Fork Union Military Academy, VA)
- Jim Render (Upper St. Clair, PA)
Leave a Reply