Arena Football Hall of Fame Advisory Board Announced

Thursday June 5, 2014

 2014 Hall of Fame Class to be named during Conference Championship Weekend

CHICAGO – The Arena Football League announced nine members of the 2014 Hall of Fame Advisory Board today.

The Advisory Board will select ten candidates for the Arena Football Hall of Fame Class of 2014, based on AFL excellence in the categories of players, coaches, and contributors.

The Advisory Board includes: SHERDRICK BONNER, a current AFL analyst and Arena Football Hall of Fame inductee; ARI WOLFE, a current AFL play-by-play announcer and sideline analyst; LEWIS JOHNSON, a former lead AFL on NBC sideline reporter; TOM GOODHINES, a longtime League executive and current general manager of the Philadelphia Soul; GENE NUDO, a longtime AFL coach and executive; TROY CLARDY, a longtime play-by-play announcer and AFL broadcaster for the San Jose Sabercats and Pittsburgh Power; ED BARKOWITZ, a veteran Philadelphia Daily News reporter; JERRY DIPAOLA, a veteran staff writer for Trib Total Media; and BRANDON WRIGHT, a veteran Tampa Bay Times correspondent.

Bonner has spent two decades in the Arena Football League, first enjoying a Hall of Fame career as a quarterback for the Arizona Rattlers before transitioning into an analyst role for the AFL. Voted the Greatest Quarterback in AFL History by the Silver Anniversary Committee in 2012, the 2012 Arena Football Hall of Fame inductee played with and against many of the game’s all-time greats during his 15-year playing career.

Wolfe worked as the TV and Radio play-by-play announcer for the Albany/Indiana Firebirds from 1998-2003 and the Philadelphia Soul from 2004-2008. He now serves as a play-by-play announcer and sideline analyst for AFL national telecasts on the ESPN family of networks and CBS Sports Network. He has also worked in some capacity at every ArenaBowl since 2002. During the 2008 season, he had his own column on ArenaFootball.com entitled, “Wolfe’s Den”.

Johnson spent four seasons as a sideline reporter for the AFL on NBC, covering many of the sport’s greatest games and players. The former track star, who broke into broadcasting as a runner for ABC Sports and ESPN, is an eight-time NBC Olympic commentator and has become a staple with track and field, college football, the New York City Marathon, NCAA March Madness and the NBA Playoffs.

Goodhines is the current general manager of the Philadelphia Soul and has served in executive positions with the AFL since 2000. He spent five seasons with the League office from 2001-05 before joining the Utah Blaze as Director of Communications and Football Operations from 2005-07.

Nudo is a longtime AFL coach and executive, who was inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2011. He was named the League’s Executive of the Year three times in his career and served as head coach of the Arizona Rattlers from 2006-07.

Clardy has 13 years of experience covering the AFL, most recently as a television and radio play-by-play announcer for the Pittsburgh Power. Clardy also worked San Jose Sabercats radio broadcasts for ten seasons and hosted ESPN.com’s “Inside the AFL” for three seasons.

Barkowitz has been covering the Soul and the AFL for the Philadelphia Daily News since the team’s launch in 2004. He has also worked as a general assignment sports writer for the Daily News since 1993, covering the World Series, Stanley Cup and NBA Finals.

DiPaola has covered the Pittsburgh Power since their inception in 2011. He also served as an associate editor for the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, where he covered the Pittsburgh Steelers as the paper’s beat writer for more than a decade.

Wright has covered the Tampa Bay Storm as a correspondent for the Tampa Bay Times since 2010. He has also covered college football and high school athletics during his tenure with the Times.

The Advisory Board will select ten candidates for Hall of Fame nomination on Wednesday, June 18 and the nominees will be announced Saturday, June 21 on CBS Sports Network. Fans and current Hall of Fame members will then vote on the selected candidates beginning on Monday, June 23. Votes will then be turned in to the Hall of Fame Operating Board of Directors.

In order to be nominated for the 2014 Hall of Fame Class, candidates must meet four criteria. If a player was active before 1989, he must have played for at least two seasons. For players after 1989, a minimum of three seasons of service are required. All players must be retired for three complete seasons. Coaches must have been active for a minimum of five seasons and need not be retired. There is no minimum number of seasons required for contributors, but significant advancement of the AFL is a prerequisite.

The 2014 Hall of Fame Class will be announced during the 2014 Conference Championship weekend and inductions will be held during the 2015 Arena Football League season.

About the AFL
Since its inception in 1987, the Arena Football League has showcased a fast-paced and exciting game to millions of fans in a myriad of markets across the country. The ESPN family of networks and CBS Sports Network will nationally broadcast AFL games each week for the entire 2014 season. The AFL schedule culminates with ArenaBowl XXVII Saturday, August 23, 2014 on ESPN.