AFL Hall of Fame Advisory Board Announced

The Arena Football League announced seven members of the 2012 Hall of Fame Advisory Board today.
The Advisory Board will select ten candidates for Hall of Fame voting based on AFL contribution in the categories of players, coaches, administrators, officials and “at large.”
The Advisory Board includes: MARK ANDERSON, creator of the Arena Football League Writers’ Association; ED BARKOWITZ, a veteran Philadelphia Daily News reporter; TROY CLARDY, play-by-play voice of the Pittsburgh Power; current play-by-play voice of the Chicago Rush, LES GROBSTEIN; WILLIAM NIRO, a founding father of the Arena Football League; RICHARD OBERT, Arizona Republic reporter; and ARI WOLFE, who currently serves as a play-by-play announcer and sideline reporter for “NET10 Arena Football Friday” on NFL Network.
Anderson, who created the Arena Football League Writers’ Association in 2004, covered the Las Vegas Gladiators from 2003-2007 for the Las Vegas Review-Journal and later covered the AFL for Pro Football Weekly in 2008 and 2010.
Barkowitz has been covering the Soul and the AFL for the Philadelphia Daily News since the team’s launch in 2004. He has also worked as a general assignment sports writer for the Daily News since 1993, covering the World Series, Stanley Cup and NBA Finals.
Clardy, now in his 13th season following the AFL, is currently the radio play-by-play voice of the Pittsburgh Power. From 2006-2008, he hosted “Inside the AFL”, ESPN’s official Arena Football League podcast. He also served as the San Jose SaberCats pregame and postgame host during radio broadcasts from 2001-2005 and worked as a color commentator from 2007-2008.
Grobstein, a Chicago sports radio veteran of more than 30 years, is currently the play-by-play announcer for the Chicago Rush. He has covered the Arena Football League since its inception in 1987.
Niro, a Chicago attorney, is an original founder of the AFL and partner at Gridiron Enterprises, a sports consulting company based in Chicago, IL.
Obert has worked at the Arizona Republic since 1982 and has covered the Arizona Rattlers since their inception in 1992. He was on-hand for two Rattlers’ ArenaBowl victories. He also covered the University of Arizona men’s basketball program from 1992-1995 and again during the 2000-2001 season, as well as the Arizona State University men’s basketball program during the 1999-2000 season.
Wolfe worked as the TV and Radio play-by-play announcer for the Albany/Indiana Firebirds from 1998-2003 and the Philadelphia Soul from 2004-2008. He now serves as a play-by-play announcer and sideline reporter for NFL Network and has worked in some capacity at every ArenaBowl since 2002. During the 2008 season, he had his own column on ArenaFootball.com entitled, “Wolfe’s Den”.
The Advisory Board will select ten candidates for Hall of Fame nomination on Wednesday, June 20 and the nominees will be announced Friday, June 22 on NFL Network. Fans and current Hall of Fame members will then vote on the selected candidates beginning on Monday, June 25. Votes will then be turned in to the Hall of Fame Operating Board of Directors.
In order to be nominated for the 2012 Hall of Fame Class, candidates must meet four criteria. If a player was active before 1989, he must have played for two seasons. For players after 1989, three seasons of service are required. All players must be retired for three complete seasons. Coaches must have been active for a minimum of five seasons and need not be retired.
The 2012 Hall of Fame Class will be announced during ArenaBowl XXV in New Orleans on August 10 and inductions will be held during the Arena Football League’s 2013 opening weekend.