Hall of Fame
Chris Wallace played quarterback for four seasons at Toledo and was the starter in 1997 and 1998. He ranks seventh in career touchdown passes (44); eighth in career passing yardage (5,454) and passing attempts (848); and ninth in career passing completions. He accumulated most of these numbers in just two seasons. As a junior in 1997, Wallace set records (all since broken) in passing yardage (2,955), passes completed (232) and TD passes (27). He still holds the single-season record for passes attempted (433). For his efforts in 1997, he was named second-team All-MAC. His biggest game as a Rocket came in 1997 when he passed for 364 yards in a thrilling win over Miami, tossing a winning TD strike to Brock Kreitzburg with just seconds remaining. Wallace led the Rockets to division titles in both 1997 and 1998, including an 8-0 start in 1997 that saw the Rockets move to No. 18 in the A.P. poll. Wallace played 18 seasons of professional arena football, retiring following the 2018 season. Wallace spent eight seasons with the Florida Firecats, setting league records in career touchdowns (484) and passes completed (1,797), and team records for TD passes (100) and passing yards (3,918). He led the Florida Tarpons to league titles in 2012 and 2013, and rejoined the team in 2015 until his retirement in 2018. Wallace was a high school football coach and Dean of Students at the Florida Christian Institute in Fort Myers, Fla. for three years. He returned to Ohio to take care of his father James during his battle with Alzheimer's which ended in 2011. Wallace lives in Springfield where he serves as the community mentor supervisor for the Springfield City School District. Wallace leads the Springfield Chapter of My Brothers Keeper, which was launched by President Obama as a national initiative to address the opportunity gaps facing young minority male students. The program connects students with community leaders through mentoring relationships and educational events to help ensure all young people reach their full potential. Wallace also coaches football at his alma mater, Springfield High School, where he serves as the offensive coordinator. He helped lead the Wildcats to state semifinals appearances in 2019 and 2020.
