The Official 2026 Public Vote

Your Vote Shapes the Hall

Explore the official candidates and cast your votes for the individuals you believe deserve a place in the United States Athletics Hall of Fame.

Mel Kiper Jr.

  • Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Commentators 2026
  • Embed from Getty Images
  • Sport(s): Football
  • It takes a special type of skill, talent, and relentlessness to become the icon of a niche. It is quite another to become so good at it that you make it a must-watch and focal part of a professional season…even when there are no games being played.

    This is the story of Mel Kiper Jr., a man who made the NFL Draft his own.

    Kiper worked on NFL Drafts before he ever worked for ESPN, and what started as a high-school passion became a multi-million-dollar industry. Since 1984, Kiper has been an NFL Draft mainstay, and whether he gets it right or wrong, he is the pioneer from whom all “NFL Draftniks” learned. This is the definition of self-made.

    We are proud to nominate Mel Kiper Jr. for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.
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