Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick inducted into the National High School Football Hall of Fame in 2025 (Photo courtesy of the National High School Football Hall of Fame).

By David L. Snelling
South Florida Times

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla – The National High School Football Hall of Fame is seeking a new home and Fort Lauderdale and Miami Gardens are among the top cities to land the institution that honors former high school players who made an impact on the gridiron.

LaMont Robinson, founder of the National High School Football Hall of Fame Foundation, which debuted in 2023 in Canton, Ohio, told the South Florida Times that a host of cities have made bids for the institution including Pittsburgh, Lakeland, Fla., Odessa, Texas and two cities in Georgia.

Robinson said he’s ready to move the Hall of Fame from Canton, Ohio because the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame overshadows its induction ceremonies and festivities.

Relocating the institution would establish its own identity and the region Robinson has zeroed in on is South Florida, which has a penchant of producing some of the best high school players in the country who went on to play college football and in the NFL.

One local player, Lorenzo White, who played at Fort Lauderdale’s Dillard High School and went on to play at Michigan State University and was drafted by the Houston Oilers, was enriched in the hall of fame several years ago.

Robinson said some of the best high school players in history came from South Florida including Bennie Blades (Piper High School in Sunrise), Brian Blades (Piper High School), Michael Irvin (St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale), Roscoe Parrish (Miami Senior High) and 2025 Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza (Christopher Columbus High in Miami), who led the Indiana Hoosiers to the National Championship and was the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Las Vegas Raiders.

Defensive back Bennie Blades went on to play for the University of Miami and was drafted by the Detroit Lions, wide receiver Brian Blades also played for UM and suited up for the Seattle Seahawks, Irvin, an NFL Hall of Famer, played for the Hurricanes and won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys as a wide receiver, and Parrish also played for UM and was later drafted by the Buffalo Bills.

“In order to play pro and college football, you have to go through high school football first,” Robinson said. “I would like to bring it to the state of Florida because those players are right up there with the rest in the country who are the best. Miami Gardens and Fort Lauderdale would be great places for the hall of fame.”

Robinson underscored that high school players who never got the opportunity to play college football and in the NFL are also eligible for enshrinement in the National High School Football Hall of Fame.

“You don’t have to be a household name… just that you made an impact on the high school football field,” Robinson said. “You might have had a phenomenal senior year making all conference and unsung players who did a lot during their high school career.”

Robinson said coaches and community contributions are also candidates for the hall of fame.

He said the hall of fame so far has inducted over 100 former high school players and coaches including former NFL quarterbacks Warren Moon (Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, California), and Michael Vick (Warwick High School in Virginia), former NFL great Jim Brown (Manhasset High School in Manhasset, New York), former NFL linebacker Ray Lewis (Kathleen High School in Bartow, Florida), former NFL running back Eric Dickerson (Sealy High School in Texas), and former college standout running back Marcus Dupree (Philadelphia High School in Philadelphia, Mississippi).

The 2026 Class included Mike Singletary, Pro Bowl linebacker for the Chicago Bears (Evan E. Worthing High School in Houston, Texas), Tony Dorsett (Hopewell High School in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania), who played running back for the Dallas Cowboys and helped the team win the Super Bowl his rookie season, quarterback Jim Kelly, (East Brady High School in Pennsylvania), who went on to play for the University of Miami and Buffalo Bills, Keith Jackson (Parkview High School in Little Rock, Arkansas), a former Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins tight end, and Ozzie Newsom (Colbert County High School in Leighton, Alabama), who played tight end for the Cleveland Browns and landed an executive role with the organization following his retirement.

Robinson said relocating the hall of fame comes with a price tag of $30 million to build a 30,000 square feet building.

Or less if a city offers an existing structure.

He said South Florida would be the ideal location since it’s a tourist hub and could boost visitors, driven by its cultural, historical and natural attractions.

Robinson also said the institution would bolster the economy by providing jobs and after school programs for kids.

He said he hopes to make a decision on where to move the hall of fame soon.

But Robinson is hoping Miami Gardens and Fort Lauderdale show a stronger interest for the institution.

Robinson said he only played high school football and his pro basketball career spanned for 28 years playing for the Washington Generals, an American exhibition basketball team best known for their long-standing role as the perennial opponents of the Harlem Globetrotters, and overseas.

He also started a high school basketball hall of fame in Ohio and was inducted into the American Basketball Hall of Fame.

Robinson is a five-time Naismith Memorial Basketball HOF nominee.