Recently, the College Football Hall of Fame revealed the players and coaches on the 2025 ballot who will be voted on for induction into the Hall. At the Division-I level, 77 players and 9 coaches were nominated. One of the coaches on the ballot this year is former South Carolina football headman Jim Carlen who led the program from 1975-1981 as the head football coach and athletic director.
College Football has seen nearly 6 million total players and coaches at all levels since the sport began in the late 1800s. Of that number, less than 1500 of those individuals have been enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, so Carlen's nomination is a big dealitself.
Eligibility requirements are listed below:
- Players must have been named a First Team All-American by at least one major publication.
- Players must have been active within the last 50 years but also be 10 years removed from their playing days.
- Players must not be active in professional football. If over the 10-year threshold, they will be eligible immediately after retirement.
- Players must be considered good citizens. Some have been kept out of the College Football Hall of Fame because of this "character clause," but none have been removed after induction.
- Coaches must have coached for at least 10 years and at least 100 games while having a winning percentage over 60%.
- Coaches must be three years removed from college coaching. Coaches over 70 are eligible immediately upon retirement, and coaches over 75 are eligible even if still active.
- Coaches must not be active in professional football.
- Coaches must be considered good citizens. Some have been kept out of the College Football Hall of Fame because of this "character clause," but none have been removed after induction.
Carlen had three stops as a college head coach, leading the West Virginia Mountaineers, Texas Tech Red Raiders, and South Carolina Gamecocks from 1966-1981. He was also an assistant at Georgia Tech from 1958-1965.
Carlen had just one losing season out of his seven years in Columbia, a major accomplishment considering Paul Dietzel had five in nine years just before Carlen took over and the next two coaches (Richard Bell and Joe Morrison) had losing seasons in 1982 and 1983, respectively.
The Gamecocks went to three bowl games under Carlen in an era when bowls were much harder to reach, and his 1979 and 1980 campaigns saw USC win 8 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in South Carolina football history. Oh, yeah, and some guy by the name of George Rogers won the 1980 Heisman Trophy.
Carlen is already a member of the Hall of Fames at South Carolina and Texas Tech. He was also on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot in 2024 but was not inducted.
Former Gamecock coaches Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier and former Gamecock players George Rogers and Sterling Sharpe are already in the College Football Hall of Fame.