New Jersey Hall of Fame


The New Jersey Hall of Fame is an organization that honors individuals from the U.S. state of New Jersey who have made contributions to society and the world beyond.
The Hall of Fame is a designated 501 non-profit organization, overseen by a Board of Trustees. It was statutorily authorized through Public Law 2005, Chapter 232. This bi-partisan legislation was passed unanimously in the New Jersey Senate on May 13, 2005, passed in the Assembly on June 30, 2005, and signed into law by the governor on September 22, 2005.
In June 2013 it introduced a "mobile museum" designed by Michael Graves and Ralph Applebaum which toured the state for more than 300,000 people over three years. In 2017, it opened a satellite exhibition of five holograms, posters and a ″Wall of Fame″ at Newark Airport. In September 2018 it was announced that the Hall of Fame would move to a permanent home at American Dream Meadowlands.

Format

The New Jersey Hall of Fame selects potential nominees in five categories: General, Enterprise, Sports, Arts & Entertainment, and Historical. With only rare exceptions, nominees must have resided in New Jersey for a period of at least five years. Selection of inductees is done using a three-phase process. Phase I is conducted by a group of expert panelists selected by the New Jersey Hall of Fame Board, who compose a list of 20 individuals in each category. Phase II incorporates a group of over 100 prominent organization throughout New Jersey who narrow the field down to 6 individuals in each category. Phase III uses a public voting system via the internet and manual ballots. Upon completion of Phase III, the New Jersey Hall of Fame Board selects its inductees based on the top vote-getter in each category, as well as others the board deems deserving.

Induction ceremony

The first class of inductees was honored in an induction ceremony at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center on May 4, 2008.

2008 inductees

The inaugural class of inductees for the New Jersey Hall of Fame were announced in a press conference on October 25, 2007, by Governor Jon Corzine.
HistoricalEnterpriseArts & EntertainmentSportsGeneral

  • Buzz Aldrin
  • Malcolm Forbes
  • Robert Wood Johnson II
  • Frank Sinatra
  • Bruce Springsteen
  • Meryl Streep
  • Yogi Berra
  • Bill Bradley
  • Vince Lombardi
  • Toni Morrison
  • Norman Schwarzkopf
  • Harriet Tubman

    • 2009 inductees

    The 2009 class of inductees for the New Jersey Hall of Fame were announced on February 2, 2009. The induction ceremony was held May 3, 2009, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
    HistoricalEnterpriseArts & EntertainmentSportsGeneral

  • Guglielmo Marconi
  • Carl Sagan
  • Bud Abbott & Lou Costello
  • Jon Bon Jovi
  • Jerry Lewis
  • Althea Gibson
  • Shaquille O'Neal
  • Phil Rizzuto
  • F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • William Carlos Williams

    • 2010 inductees

    The 2010 class of inductees for the New Jersey Hall of Fame were announced on December 3, 2009. The induction ceremony was held May 2, 2010, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.
    HistoricalEnterpriseArts & EntertainmentSportsGeneral

  • Michael Graves
  • Wally Schirra
  • Count Basie
  • Danny DeVito
  • Jack Nicholson
  • Susan Sarandon
  • Frankie Valli
  • Larry Doby
  • Carl Lewis
  • Judy Blume
  • William Brennan
  • Philip Roth

    • 2011 inductees

    HistoricalEnterpriseArts & EntertainmentSportsGeneral

  • Leon Hess
  • Tony Bennett
  • Queen Latifah
  • John "Bucky" Pizzarelli
  • John Travolta
  • Bruce Willis
  • Franco Harris
  • Joe Theismann
  • Brendan Byrne
  • Mary Higgins Clark
  • William "Bull" Halsey
    • The 9/11 Victims were also given a special induction.

    2012 inductees

    Ten members of the Class of 2012 were inducted on Saturday, June 9, 2012, during a ceremony at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center: Milt Campbell, John Dorrance, Michael Douglas, Bob Hurley, Wellington Mara, Samuel I. Newhouse, Annie Oakley, Joyce Carol Oates, Christopher Reeve, and Sarah Vaughan.
    The eleventh member of the Class of 2012 – the E Street Band – will be inducted at a future date. The Unsung Hero Award was given to Eric LeGrand, the paralyzed former Rutgers University defensive tackle.
    HistoricalEnterpriseEntertainmentSportsGeneralUnsung Hero

  • John Dorrance
  • E Street Band
  • Michael Douglas
  • Christopher Reeve
  • Sarah Vaughan
  • Milt Campbell
  • Bob Hurley
  • Wellington Mara
  • Joyce Carol Oates
  • Eric LeGrand

    • 2013 inductees

    2014 inductees

    2015 inductees

    2016 inductees

    2017 inductees

    2018 inductees