Being named a Pro Football Hall of Famer is one of the highest accolades a football player — at any level — can achieve. While the road to the Pro Football Hall of Fame is harder for players at smaller schools, that has not stopped nine former FCS football players from enshrinement.
Here is a look at every former FCS player that is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
FCS NFL Hall of Famers
Disclaimer: Only players who participated in seasons from 1978 and on were used since that is the first year of I-AA/FCS play. Regardless of a school’s current classification, if an institution, post-1978, was not classified as an I-AA/FCS program during any of the seasons that a Pro Football Hall of Famer played, said player is not featured on this list since he did not play I-AA/FCS football.
| Player | Position | NFL HOF Inducted Year | College | Collegiate Years Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry Rice | WR | 2010 | Mississippi Valley State | 1981-84 |
| Richard Dent | DE | 2011 | Tennessee State | 1979-82 |
| Aeneas Williams | DB | 2014 | Southern | 1989-90 |
| Michael Strahan | DE | 2014 | Texas Southern | 1989-92 |
| Charles Haley | DE/LB | 2015 | James Madison | 1982-85 |
| Kurt Warner | QB | 2017 | Northern Iowa | 1989-93 |
| Randy Moss | WR | 2018 | Marshall | 1995-97 |
| Terrell Owens | WR | 2018 | Chattanooga | 1992-95 |
| Jared Allen | DE | 2024 | Idaho State | 2000-2003 |
Notables
- The wide receiver position is loaded! Rice, Moss and Owens are arguably the top-three NFL wide receivers of all-time, however you want to order them. All three played college football at the FCS level.
- Four defensive ends also have made their way from the FCS to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Allen, Dent, Strahan and Haley each terrorized opposing quarterbacks in college and as pros.
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities dominate the list of former FCS Pro Football Hall of Famers, taking up half the list; the first four inductees all attended HBCUs.
- Jared Allen is the first major FCS award winner to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Allen won the 2003 Buck Buchanan Award.
- Randy Moss is the lone Pro Football Hall of Famer to have won an FCS title; he won the 1996 title at Marshall as a redshirt freshman.
- Kurt Warner is the lone FCS quarterback in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. While he didn’t start until his senior year at Northern Iowa, Warner was named the Gateway Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year in his lone season.
Who could be next?
WR Cooper Kupp
Cooper Kupp hasn’t retired yet, but his NFL achievements have him on a path to the hall. In college, Kupp won the Jerry Rice Award, Walter Payton Award and set the NCAA all-division receiving yardage record.
While the path for wide receivers to enter the Hall of Fame is infamously backlogged, Kupp’s Super Bowl LVI win and MVP, 2021 Offensive Player of the Year Award, and 2021 receiving triple crown should help his case — if he ends up cracking the 10,000 receiving yard mark in his career. Entering 2025, Kupp has 7,776 receiving yards (126th all-time), 57 receiving touchdowns (111th all-time) and 634 receptions (80th all-time)
DE Robert Mathis
Robert Mathis finished as a semifinalist in 2022 in his first year of eligibility and was a semifinalist every year through 2025. Mathis attended Alabama A&M where he set FCS records with a spectacular 2002 season.
QB Steve McNair
Steve McNair has been a nominee for the Hall of Fame. McNair attended Alcorn State, finishing his college career atop numerous FCS passing record lists and taking home the 1994 Walter Payton Award.
S Rodney Harrison
Rodney Harrison was a finalist for the Hall of Fame in 2024 and a semifinalist in 2021, 2023 and 2025. Harrison attended Western Illinois, ending his career as the school’s career-leading tackler.
RB Brian Westbrook
Brian Westbrook has been a nominee for the Hall of Fame. Westbrook attended Villanova, won the 2001 Walter Payton Award and set the NCAA all-time all-purpose yardage record.
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