SFL Announces 2026 Hall-of-Fame finalists

The Simulation Football League announces the 2026 Hall-of-Fame finalists today, a voting ballot that will go to each team to cast their vote. The class will be inducted at the 2026 Convention in Denver Saturday August 1.

In this class, the six players and two league contributors with the most votes will win the nomination. The 2026 Hall-of-Fame class will be announced on the next Matt Willson Kickoff Show.

Hall-of-Fame Finalists (players)

Quarterback Jonny Pichler 

A part of SFL history, Pichler was the No. 1 pick by the St. Louis Gladiators on a live-on-television rookie draft from FTF Studios in Massachusetts to start his career. Since then, Pichler is now 5th all-time in passing yards with 43,866 and 7th in touchdowns with 292.

Quarterback Jack Wigmore

Wigmore is a five-time champion from his Baltimore Vultures days and is now the quarterback of the Bossier City Steamers. Wigmore is 6th all-time in passing yards with 43,791 but 4th in passing touchdowns with 326, now just 10 behind 3rd place and Hall-of-Famer Julian Tyree.

Halfback Colin Hart

Minnesota's Colin Hart is 2nd all-time in rushing yards with 19,494 about to pass Hall-of-Famer BDG Hollewood for the most rushing yards in league history. Hart ranks first in touchdowns with 197, just three away from becoming the first professional football player to ever rush for 200 career touchdowns.

Halfback Warren Murray

Murray, another multi-season champion with the Baltimore Vultures is 3rd all-time in SFL rushing yards with 17,881 and 3rd in rushing touchdowns with 157. Murray is back in Houston where it all began, playing in his 17th SFL season. 

Wide Receiver Stephen Hacker

Hacker ranks 4th all-time in receiving yards with 17,086 and 3rd in touchdowns with 128. He's the only receiver in the top 7 all-time in yards not in the Hall-of-Fame either as a player or contributor. He's over 1,000 yards ahead of the next closest candidate.

Wide Receiver Ivory Ervin

Baltimore Vulture legacy players litter this year's of Hall-of-Fame finalists, but Ervin is unique. Less than 100 yards away from surpassing Boo Chisholm for 7th all-time in yards, Ervin is also a 10x All-Star, the most of any active player not in the hall. His 125 touchdowns ranks 5th all-time.

Wide Receiver Deezer Powell

Less than 100 yards with two more touchdowns than Ervin, Deezer Powell has arguably done more with less over his career. Powell is in his 17th season and was known early on as the superstar for the New Orleans Pharaohs on a national stage. 

Linebacker Nick Fargo

D.C.'s Nick Fargo ranks 8th all-time in total tackles with 1,638 but also has top 10 rankings in tackles for loss (3rd - 243) and forced fumbles (10 - 5th). Fargo's in his 18th season and previously was a staple in Sioux Falls. Fargo is a 9x all-star, the most by any active defensive player not currently in the hall.

Cornerback Ryan Davidson

The star of the Florida secondary for 17 seasons, Davidson has 11 defensive touchdowns - tied for first in league history - and has 99 interceptions, just one away from 100, fourth on the all-time list. He pairs those numbers with 163 passes deflected, 5th on the all-time marks.

Cornerback Merrick Itera

Itera, the longtime Las Vegas Fury owner and defensive back, has contiuned his defensive prowess in Mexico City. He ranks top 10 in passes defended (143 - 8th), defensive touchdowns (8 - 7th) and forced fumbles (12 - 3rd). 

Safety Kanye Rockafella

Rockafella is 5th all-time in tackles, just passing the 1,800 milestone with 1,801 on the books. He's No. 1 all-time with 180 pass deflections in his 21 seasons of play. He ranks 7th in interceptions with 92. He currently plays for Anchorage.

Kicker Ethan Sneed

Now retired, Sneed currently is 2nd all-time in field goals made (305) and attempted (317). His 96% career makes is best among all kickers with at least 170 field goals made. 

Kicker Rob Emms

Still going strong in Arizona, Emms has 288 field goals made and 304 field goals attempted as he guns for Sneed's 2nd-place marks by the end of 2026. Emms has done this all in just 13 seasons, averaging over 20 made field goals per season.

Hall-of-Fame Finalists (contributors)

Eric Vinson, Legacy Broadcaster

Vinson called his first SFL game on February 26, 2017, the third person ever to call play-by-play of SFL Competition behind Commissioner Irvine and HOFer Andy Hamilton. Vinson still calls games to this day and has called the most games of any broadcasting contributor in Virtual Football Network history. He's made waves at past conventions for being the life of the party on the air and been a staple on SFL broadcasts since the broadcast team was in its infancy, helping to bring many memorable moments to life.

Marc Lopez, Director of Statistics

Lopez, now the head coach in Vancouver and a winner of Season 25's Championship on the field, was the pioneer of the in-game stat sheet. While not the original creator, Lopez took the stat sheet to a whole other level and created the current from scratch, one that did the math on its own. Lopez also recently pioneered unique software that allows us to upload game stats straight from the game in minutes, not hours and has been a part of the league for eight years.

Rachelle Colston, Director of Operations

A part of the SFL for over seven years, Colston has always been a supporter of the league, stepping in where she could help. She was a part of the small team who previously handled approving and transcribing progressions manually. She's been instrumental in the modern era helping to keep the day-to-day operations of the league humming, whether it be incentive payouts, contracts on the portal and organizing the stats team and stat sheets for league use. A former team owner, Colston is a convention regular and community leader.

Mike O'Neal, visionary of the 4K23 era

O'Neal was tasked many years ago to research outlets for the SFL after All-Pro Football 2k8 was deemed unviable for the future of the league. Not only did O'Neal help bring the era to life, he has worked on countless projects associated with it, including the newly released widescreen patch and hexed playbooks that opened the league up to new possibilities, creativity and replayability on both sides of the ball. O'Neal has been to countless conventions, often bringing his own AV equipment to support the league in its efforts to put on the best live show possible.

Jeremy Vega, 2x champion Coach, Owner

Vega, the former owner of the Denver Nightwings purchased the team in Season 9 and helped the Denver Nightwings win two championships in Season 13 and 16, an end to a dynasty in Alaska and a disruptor to a dynasty in Baltimore. An outsider to the world of APF coaching, Vega won 112 games in his time, 9th most of any franchise. He gave opportunities to up-and-coming coaches in his later years of ownership, elevating new owners in Portland, Indianapolis and finally, Birmingham.