ESHOF INDUCTION FAQ

One of the biggest areas of interest from the community is celebrating Elgin’s rich history of athletics, specifically through inducting deserving Elgin Athletes into the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame. A 43-year tradition and over 200 athletes later here we are. Recently and thankfully, we’ve had more interest and questions on how to nominate an Elgin athlete, coach, friend of sports for hall of fame induction. After reading this blog, you should have an excellent understanding of all things nominations and inductees. We cannot wait to get your nominations!

Can you describe the process to nominate an individual to the ballot for ESHOF?
Anyone can nominate a person by filling out a nomination form that is available on the ESHOF website. Some of the things you’ll need for the nomination:

• Candidates full name.
• Confirmation they were an Elgin Athlete and/or had an Elgin address.
• High School/College the candidate attended.
• Be ready to list the sport(s) the athlete excelled in and be able to support their success through verified stats. Pro tips for verification: Get
out that scrapbook! Ask old teammates! All verifications come from newspaper clippings, and/or schools attended.

Once the form is received, an ESHOF board member with be in touch with any questions and next steps for nomination.

1. Complete your nomination form.
2. Work with your assigned board member.
3. After approval, the nominee is considered by the ballot committee and voted on the ballot.
4. Once they make it…It’s your vote that gets your nominee inducted.

How does an individual make it to the ballot?
Once a nomination is received, they are first voted on the ballot by the HOF board. The nominee must show superior performance in their sport. The individual must have accomplished this with an Elgin based program/school or been raised in Elgin and accomplishments may have occurred outside of Elgin.

What do I need to provide for my nomination form?
The individual being nominated must have all their accomplishments listed and documentation provided to support all accomplishments. Complete the nomination form here.

Why do I need to provide supporting material for my nomination form and how do I accomplish this?
To have a fair and consistent approach, we must validate the accomplishments that occurred. Newspaper articles, School Confirmation, IHSA records are the most common validating materials submitted.

What if I can’t validate my nominee accomplishments?
It is unfortunate, but we would not be able to move forward with the nomination. We have some outstanding athletes that we have been unable to advance due to this condition.

What happens after I nominate an individual?
The ESHOF will validate the information is correct and it will be voted upon to determine if the individual goes on the ballot.

Can my nomination be turned down?
Yes, the ESHOF can decline an application if it is determined the accomplishments are not at a superior level or accomplishments are not validated. We don’t take this process lightly. We exhaust all efforts to verify/obtain information. What is superior? Subjective we know. Think distinguished awards, consistency in stats, specialized position, talented multi-sport athletes, they were a “stand-out”.

What happens if my nomination is approved for the ballot?
The individual will be placed on the ballot for the next annual vote and election. Ballots are mailed to HOF members in early August. Members can vote on up to 8 nominees. Ballots must be submitted no later than the first week of September. Nominees become members with your vote… become one today.

Does the individual nominated need to be an athlete?
No, athletes are the biggest group of candidates, but we have coaches, media and friends of sports that have been nominated and inducted. It has been important to the HOF to acknowledge those who play a significant role in the athletic success.

How many candidates are elected each year?
ESHOF selects 5 per year to be inducted. Click here to view this year’s ballot additions.

How many candidates are on the ballot each year?
The number can vary based on nominations, but recently there have been around 30 per year.

How does a candidate get inducted?
The membership of ESHOF votes on the candidates. Candidates must receive a minimum of 30% of the membership votes to be automatically elected. If the candidate doesn’t get 30%, then the board of directors will vote.

What happens if one or no candidate receives 30% of the membership vote?
The ESHOF board of directors would elect individuals that are not elected by the membership.

Can anyone be a member of the ESHOF?
Yes, we encourage everyone to become a member. Families of previous inductees, scholarship families, community members who want to support their teammates and through scholarship should consider joining.

What are the costs and benefits of being a member?
The $40 annual fee entitles you to vote for the candidates for induction and attend the annual banquet. Your $40 helps the HOF maintain the in-person HOF, the banquet, the wall, the website. Members are not required to volunteer their time. (although we’re always looking for volunteers ). Now back to the banquet. This is our flagship event where we share a meal and celebrate Elgin’s finest in athletics.

How many candidates can a member vote for?
Each member can vote for up to 8 candidates. Membership application and fee must be paid by August 1 to be eligible to vote in the current year.

How many individuals are in the Hall of Fame?
204 as of the 2022 Induction year. Follow this link to see the bios on every inductee to date. You’ll see the HOF has inducted a wide variety of athletes from decades as far back as the 1800’s.

How many voting members are there currently?
In 2022, there was almost 300 members. Our goal is to bring membership up to 350 annually. Can you imagine how much fun we’d have at the banquet?!

Is there a certain time-period that individuals are selected from?
No, Elgin has such a rich sports history that we have individuals elected with accomplishments from the beginning of the 20th century through current times across a variety of sports. Most important is that their verified stats and accomplishments speak for themselves and the members participate by voting.

Can I talk to a board member about an individual or nomination?
Yes, we are always willing to discuss the process with anyone or group. We want to provide the correct material as there can be wrong information communicated through social media or word of mouth.

Executive Board Member direct email address: eshof1980@gmail.com