Presenting the Hustle Belt Hall of Fame

It’s safe to say that here at the Belt, we are perhaps the leading internet voice for MACtion and all things Mid-American Conference related. Tuesday night football games? We’ll be there. Mid-winter non-revenue sport round ups? Got you covered. News and notes from the world of sport and beyond that has a MACtion bent? Yep, that too.

So it’s only appropriate that your friendly neighborhood MACtion home on the interwebs undertake a project to recognize some of the heroes of MACtion on and off the court/field/playing surface of your choice.

That’s why this summer, we present the Hustle Hall of Fame, a virtual home where stars of the Mid-American Conference can live forever.

Maybe it’s a place to recognize amazing athletic achievement. Perhaps it’s recognition for the coaches and staff that have made the MAC what it is today. Is there a field hockey or volleyball player that hasn’t gotten their due attention? Here’s your chance. Fan voting on their school’s titans by whatever metric you deem appropriate? A chance to make your case to your fellow voters in the comment section? Sign me up.

Aside from being fans of the Mid-American Conference and its member institutions, we’re also fans of democracy. As such, the Hustle Belt Hall of Fame will be a democratic process through and through. The inaugural class will be a bit larger than usual, but here’s our process for this year’s opening salvo:

• Over the next month, we’ll have the Hall of Fame process unfurl. For this first year, each school will have a time where we solicit nominations through the comment section. Our editorial staff will have a short list that we come up with, but it is likely that we’ll miss people given your fandom and your affinity for your school. Your comments can fix those sorts of mistakes.
• Once nominations for all schools conclude, we’ll begin the voting... FAN VOTING. The ten most worthy (or most requested) nominees will be put to a fan vote. The two nominees with the highest vote percentages for each school will be inducted into the Hustle Hall of Fame. (Note: in future years, the process will run a little bit different with individuals put out in the community and a minimum threshold to clear, but more on that next summer.)
• At the conclusion of the vote, we’ll announce who the inaugural class for the Hustle Hall of Fame is. We may mail them certificates. We may invite them to post on The Belt. You just never know. Maybe we buy them a Pizza King pie and call it a day.

In case you want to start doing your homework or making your nomination lists, here’s our nomination schedule:

June 5: Akron
June 5: Ball State
June 6: Bowling Green
June 6: Buffalo
June 7: Central Michigan
June 7: Eastern Michigan
June 8: Kent State
June 8: Miami
June 10: Northern Illinois
June 10: Ohio
June 11: Toledo
June 11: Western Michigan

Voting will begin on June 21 with a little bit different schedule than above. Voting will look like:

June 21: Akron
June 21: Ball State
June 21: Bowling Green
June 21: Buffalo
June 22: Central Michigan
June 22: Eastern Michigan
June 22: Kent State
June 22: Miami
June 23: Northern Illinois
June 23: Ohio
June 23: Toledo
June 23: Western Michigan

Mark your calendars. It’s time to recognize the titans of MACtion.