Within the past few weeks, announcements featuring new inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame have been in the news along with rosters for the McDonald's All American Game and even nominations for the Oscars.
With all of those selections and nominations come the annual "snubs" lists, pointing out the players, actors or movies that were overlooked. The Baseball Hall of Fame inductee selections usually opens a long discussion about who isn't in the Hall of Fame rather than who is. Names of all-time greats like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Pete Rose continue to be on the outside looking in.
Of course there are reasons why the voters have not chosen Bonds, Clemens and Rose and that's a discussion in itself. There is no denying, however, that the trio rank among the greatest baseball players of all-time.
Then there is another Hall of Fame which has a similar conundrum. The National Federation of High Schools nominates former athletes and coaches every year for induction into its Hall of Fame. The four athletes selected in 2023 include basketball greats Carlos Boozer of Alaska, Tamika Catchings of Texas, wrestler Clarissa Chun of Hawaii and track standout Maranda Brownson of Oregon.
Like the Baseball Hall of Fame, however, the NFHS Hall of Fame snub list comes down to who isn't in the Hall of Fame rather than who is. Just about anyone can nominate an athlete or coach to the Hall of Fame, be it a state association, the NFHS office itself, high schools or even fans. All that is needed is to fill out the nomination form, get some letters of recommendation and some supporting materials to prove the athlete's worthiness for induction.
Over the years, such high school greats as Oscar Robertson of
Indianapolis Crispus Attucks (Indianapolis, Ind.), Cheryl Miller of
Poly (Riverside, Calif.), Jesse Owens of
East Tech (Cleveland, Ohio) and Cris Collinsworth of
Astronaut (Titusville, Fla.) have been selected.
The list of all-time high school greats who are not in the NFHS Hall of Fame, however, might be even more impressive. Here's a look at 10 former prep greats, in no particular order, who have not been inducted into the high school Hall of Fame.
Kareem Abdul Jabbar, known as Lew Alcindor in high school, is widely recognized as perhaps the greatest prep basketball player ever. He's among an elite list not in the National Federation of High Schools Hall of Fame.(Photo: USATSI)
Arguably the greatest scorer the game of basketball has ever seen, he averaged 50.2 points per game one season in the NBA and finished his career as the NBA's all-time leading scorer. He was just as dominant in high school with career high games of 90, 74 (twice) and 71. Also a great track athlete in high school. Other Pennsylvania basketball players in the NFHS Hall of Fame include Billy Owens and Dick Groat.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Power Memorial (New York)
Possibly the greatest high school basketball player ever, Abdul-Jabbar (known as Lew Alcindor during his prep days) was the first three-time Parade All-American (LeBron James was also a three-time pick but he is not on this list because he has not retired yet). Finished career as the NBA's all-time leading scorer. There are no former New York prep basketball players in the NFHS Hall of Fame.
Joe Montana, Ringgold (Monongahela, Pa.)
Often considered the greatest NFL quarterback of all-time, Montana had a great high school career as well, earning a spot on the Parade All-American football team. He excelled in basketball as well, earning all-state honors. Pennsylvania is home to some great quarterbacks, including Dan Marino, Johnny Unitas, and Jim Kelly. Like Montana, none are in the NFHS Hall of Fame.
John Elway, Granada Hills Charter (Calif.)
Not only was he a football All-American as a prep, he also earned that honor in baseball in high school. Elway won two Super Bowls and earned a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The only California quarterbacks in the NFHS Hall of Fame are Pat Haden and Jim Plunkett.
Michael Jordan, Laney (Wilmington, N.C.)
Surprisingly, Jordan was not a preseason All-American by Street & Smith magazine heading into his senior year. However, he ended his senior year as a Parade and McDonald's All American. Often recognized as the greatest player in NBA history after winning six championships. North Carolina has no athletes recognized by the NFHS Hall of Fame but it does have several coaches, administrators and a journalist enshrined.
Tiger Woods, Western (Anaheim, Calif.)
While Woods has not retired, he has spent over 25 years participating in the sport, so we will include him here. Dominated the nation as a junior golfer, earning Rolex All-American honors four times and Southern California Player of the Year three times. Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer are both in the NFHS Hall of Fame. Woods should join them.
Peyton Manning, Newman (New Orleans, La.)
MaxPreps pegged Manning as the greatest high school football player of all-time in 2015. Only three football players from Louisiana are in the NFHS Hall of Fame (Jim Taylor, Joe Ferguson, Billy Brown). Manning is already a member of the Pro Football and College Football Halls of Fame.
Mark Spitz, Santa Clara (Calif.)
He was setting national age group records in every stroke and distance while in high school, according to his Wikipedia page. The summer after he graduated from Santa Clara, he won two gold medals in the Mexico Olympics. Fellow California swimmers Debbie Meyer and Janet Evans are both in the Hall, but Spitz is not.
Emmitt Smith, Escambia (Pensacola, Fla.)
One of the most hyped running backs coming out of high school in the late 1980s, Smith finished his career as the second all-time leading rusher in high school history (behind NFHS Hall of Famer Ken Hall) and he was later named the "Player of the Century" by the Florida High School Athletic Association. Finished his NFL career as the league's all-time leading rusher. The only football players in the NFHS Hall of Fame from Florida, however, are Collinsworth, Pat Summerall and Derrick Brooks.
Lisa Leslie, Morningside (Inglewood, Calif.)
Southern California is home to two of the greatest high school basketball players of all-time. Cheryl Miller is rightfully in the NFHS Hall of Fame but Leslie is not. Known for scoring 101 points in a half, she led Morningside to two state titles and won multiple All-American honors. Also one of the all-time greats in WNBA history. Miller, Denise Curry and Ann Meyers are the only female basketball players from California in the NFHS Hall of Fame.
