EA drafts fans for Madden NFL Hall of Fame committee

Although the National Football League's first season was in 1920, the Pro Football Hall of Fame wasn't established until 1963, 43 years after the league's inception. By comparison, it seems the lag won't be nearly as long for the football-sim series Madden NFL, which plans to have its own hall of fame some 20 years after its first game's kickoff in 1989.

Recently, EA Tiburon announced the Madden NFL Hall of Fame, which will glorify the players, fans, playbooks, features, and even glitches of the popular and long-running franchise. The developer wants the most ardent fans of the series to sit on the Hall's selection committee to establish its bylaws and choose its inaugural inductees. EA will choose the top three fans through a YouTube submission contest where contestants prove they're "the ultimate Madden NFL fan."

The winners will join the rest of the committee--celebrity players, media members, and some EA representatives--at Heinz Field on August 13 to watch the preseason Super Bowl rematch between the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers. A day after the kick-off, the chosen fans' names will appear in the credits of Madden NFL 10, due out August 14.

The deadline to apply for the committee seat is July 31, although some have already submitted their entries. The winners will be announced August 6. Check the official Web site for more details on the contest guidelines.