FLORENCE, Ala. --   Three legends of NCAA Division II football will be honored on December 10 with induction into the Division II Football Hall of Fame in Florence, Ala.  Former Texas A&M University, Kingsville running back Johnny Bailey, former North Dakota State quarterback Jeff Bentrim, and former Jackson State University running back, the late Walter Payton, comprise the initial class of inductees into the newly created Hall of Fame.  The three inductees were selected by a 20-member Division II Football Hall of Fame selection committee and will be inducted on December 10 as part of a combined Harlon Hill Trophy and Division II Football Hall of Fame Banquet at the Florence Conference Center. 

Bailey is a three-time Harlon Hill Trophy winner as Division II College Football Player of the Year, and was the runner-up  for the Hill Trophy as a freshman.  He was selected to 14 All-America first teams and held more than 50 NCAA Division II records when his collegiate career ended in 1989.  He rushed for 6,320 yards and ranked as the leading rusher in collegiate football history until last season.  In 1997, as part of the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Division II Football, he was selected as the Division II Offensive Player of the Quarter Century.  He later played professionally with the Chicago Bears, the Arizona Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams. 

Bentrim was the first winner of the Harlon Hill Award and selected as first-team team All-American by the Football News, Associated Press and Kodak.  He was the starting quarterback in four straight national title games (1983-86), guiding North Dakota State to three national championships and one runner-up.  NDSU was 47-5-1 with Bentrim at quarterback.  His 64 rushing touchdowns broke Walter Payton's NCAA record of 63.  Bentrim was selected to the Division II Team of the Quarter Century.  He played four years with Saskatchewan, in the Canadian League and led them to the 1989 Grey Cup Championship. 

Payton, who died on November 1, was a two-time first-team All-American in 1973 and 1974 at Jackson State.  He rushed for 3,563 yards and scored 66 total touchdowns and set the NCAA scoring record with 464 points.  He led the nation in scoring in 1973 and received votes for the Heisman in 1974 . He was also selected to the Division II Team of the Quarter Century in 1997.   Payton was a first round draft pick by the Chicago Bears in 1975.  He played 13 seasons and was named to the Pro Bowl nine times.By the end of his professional career Payton was the NFL's all time leading rusher with 16,726 yards.  He was inducted into the Pro Football  Hall of Fame in 1993 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1996.  He was also named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time team in 1994.

The Division II Football Hall of Fame will be housed at the recently renovated Braly Municipal Stadium, which has hosted the Division II Football Championship Game since 1986.  The 27th annual Division II Football Championship Game will be played at Braly Stadium on December 11, 1999, and the Harlon Hill Trophy presentation to the Division II Player of the Year, and the Hall of Fame induction's are part of the Shoals area's championship week activities.  The Division II Football Hall of Fame is  sponsored by Coca-Cola, The Florence Utilities Gas Department, The Real Yellow Pages from BellSouth and Northwest Airlink.  Tickets for the Harlon Hill Trophy and Division II Football Hall of Fame Banquet can be purchased at the Shoals Chamber of Commerce at 764-4661.   Tickets are $35 each or $250 for a table of eight.  The inductees into the Division II Football Hall of Fame were selected by  a nation-wide panel comprised of media representatives, sports information directors and current and former collegiate administrators.  To be eligible for consideration for the Division II Football Hall of Fame, a player must have competed at least two years in Division II football since the division was created in 1973.  A player becomes eligible 10 years after his last year of intercollegiate competition. Players who are still competing on the professional level are not eligible until after they retire. Coaches and other persons associated with Division II football will become eligible for consideration beginning in 2002.  The initial ballot for the Division II Football Hall of Fame was comprised of players nominated for the Division II Team of the Quarter Century in 1997.  The Division II Football Hall of Fame has  a potential pool of 272 schools to draw from. NCAA Division II football began in 1973 and currently has a membership of 150 schools competing in football. There are an additional 122 schools that have competed in Division II at some point since 1973.