Women and men who have distinguished themselves and gained prominence in amateur and/or professional athletics, who have brought positive recognition to themselves and the State of Mississippi and who have been recommended by the Nominating Committee to the Selection Committee in accordance with Nominating Committee guidelines are eligible for permanent display in the Museum if they are also:

• Native Mississippians who have attained success outside the state or natives of other states who have chosen to reside, compete or be involved in Mississippi athletics for at least two seasons at the high school level and above
  
• Any person who has been retired from athletics for a minimum of five years
  
• The waiting period is automatically waived for the deceased.
  
• If nominated as an athlete/participant, the individual must have received recognition from a reputable evaluative body for his/her athletic participation, including but not limited to media, professional association and corporate recognition like wire service All-Conference and All-American honors, Kodak All-American, Clarion-Ledger All-State designation, Coaches All-District honors and the like; individual nominees will be considered automatically eligible if they have been members of generally-accepted All-American first teams, All-Pro or All-Star teams or won a medal as a contributing member of an Olympic team or if they have set acknowledged World and/or American records; or if they have won major post-season awards including but not limited to World Championships, the Heisman Trophy, Wooden Award, Butkus Award, Wade Trophy, Naismith Award, Cy Young Award, Golden Spikes Award and the like
  
  
  

• If nominated primarily as a coach, the nominee must have at least 20 seasons of paid coaching experience with a verifiable career coaching record that includes more wins than losses
  
• Individuals who have not competed on the field, but who have made valuable contributions to athletics, including but not limited to officials, journalists, owners, athletic directors, association directors, sports information directors and trainers will receive the same consideration as competitors
  
• The Museum acknowledges that even with detailed guidelines, there may be deserving individuals who do not fall within the existing eligibility guidelines; to approve a rare exception to the eligibility guidelines, all members present at the Nominating Committee meeting with a quorum in attendance and all members of the Selection Committees must approve the exception before the individual can be included in the nominating pool.

Future Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame inductees Allyn McKeen (1977) and Shorty McWilliams (1963) take a break during a Mississippi State game circa 1946.