Bobcat football great Mathis has Hall of Fame shot

Two-time All-American and Texas State record holder Claude Mathis was named to the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot as the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame released the complete list of names early Monday.

Mathis, who played for Texas State (then-Southwest Texas State) from 1993 to 1997 when the Bobcats were part of the NCAA Division I-AA football level, is the only Bobcat on the current ballot. He is among 101 players and 32 coaches from the divisional ranks.

A running back and return specialist, Mathis was named an All-American in 1996 and 1997 as well as an All-America Honorable Mention in 1995. After earning second team honors in 1996, he was a First Team All-American selection by AFCA, The Sports Network and the AP as a senior in 1997. He was also a finalist for the Walter Payton Award in his final season.

Mathis still ranks among the best in FCS history, including his standing as currently eighth in career all-purpose yards and 17th in all-purpose yards per game. He finished his career second and eighth, respectively, in those two categories.

Mathis is one of the most dynamic players to have played in the Southland Conference as he was named the conference player of the year twice (1996, 1997), all-conference first team four times (one of eight in conference history), and conference freshman of the year (1994). He currently holds the Southland Conference record for career all-purpose yards and is second in career rushing yards. He was also named to the conference’s academic honor roll twice.

More than 25 years since he last wore a Bobcat uniform, Mathis still holds several Texas State program records, including career rushing yards, career rushing attempts, career rushing touchdowns, single-season rushing yards, single-season rushing attempts, single-season rushing touchdowns and single-game rushing yards.

He set the school and Southland Conference record for rushing yards in a single-season as a junior in 1996– only to break the record as a senior in 1997. The 1997 mark of 1,595 rushing yards stood as a Southland record for 14 years, and it is 6th highest. He ran for 300 yards in two different games, with his 1996 mark against Stephen F. Austin–310–still standing as a school record.

In 44 career games, Mathis ran for 4,694 yards on 882 attempts with 45 rushing touchdowns. He also had 744 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns, 1,353 kick return yards and 635 punt return yards.

In 2011, Mathis was inducted into the Texas State Hall of Honor.

He is currently a high school head football coach in Texas and last year, he led his DeSoto High to the 6A-D2 state title. He has served as a high school and college coach since his playing career ended.

The 2024 Hall of Fame Ballot features Mathis and 100 other players as well as 32 coaches from the divisional ranks. The ballot also includes 78 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The ballot was emailed to the more than 12,000 NFF members and current Hall of Famers whose votes will be tabulated and submitted to the NFF’s Honors Court, which will then deliberate and select the class. The Honors Court, chaired by NFF Board Member and College Football Hall of Famer Archie Griffin from Ohio State, includes an elite and geographically diverse pool of athletic administrators, Hall of Famers and members of the media.

The announcement of the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be made in early 2024, with specific details to be announced later.

The 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner presented in Las Vegas on Dec. 10, 2024,with the class permanently immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. They will also be honored at their respective schools with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the 2024 season.

The criteria for Hall of Fame consideration include: A player must have received First Team All-America recognition by a selector that is recognized by the NCAA and utilized to comprise its consensus All-America teams; A player becomes eligible 10 full seasons after his final year of college football played; In addition to football achievements in college, the player’s post-football record as a citizen is weighed; Players must have played their last year of intercollegiate football within the last 50 years. Players and coaches who are at the professional level are not eligible until after they retire; and For coaches, they become eligible three full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided they are at least 70 years old. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. Coaches must have been a head football coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.