A smaller class of inductees might not be the only change in store for the way the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame picks its members.

The induction ceremony, held at the Vicksburg Convention Center each April since 2002, could also be on the move to a new date and venue.

Michael Rubenstein, executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in Jackson, said no decision has been reached yet, and there is no timetable for setting a date and location for the 2006 banquet. He did not, however, rule out moving the event from Vicksburg to Jackson or some other location.

“The site is yet to be determined. One thing that will probably change is the timing of the event,” Rubenstein said. “The museum has several prominent awards events in the spring. We’ll have to take that into account.”

The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum will pay the Jackson Touchdown Club a total of $200,000 over 10 years beginning in 2007, under an agreement announced on Tuesday.

In exchange, the museum receives control of the annual induction banquet and the money it generates as well as the rights to display plaques for inductees, of which there will be fewer. Each induction class will shrink from eight new members to no more than five.

The first banquet the MSHOF will operate will be in 2006. Previously, the Touchdown Club picked the Hall of Fame members and operated the banquet.

“The 2006 banquet is really a transition year,” Rubenstein said.

The Mississippi Sports Foundation Inc. – the nonprofit organization which operates the hall of fame – also receives the rights to the museum’s corporate name, which was held by the Touchdown Club.

The MSHOF also hosts the annual Conerly, Howell and Ferriss Trophy presentations, given to the best college football, basketball and baseball players in Mississippi, respectively. The museum has used those events as a way to showcase its facility in Jackson, and it also makes planning easier for its small staff, Rubenstein said.

Almost as quickly, though, he noted that some big events have been held in other locations and said Vicksburg has done a good job hosting the induction ceremony. About 900 people have attended the event each year it has been in the city.

“There are arguments pro and con. We are a statewide facility, and we need to have events in places other than Jackson,” Rubenstein said. “It’s all up in the air right now as to where and when it’s going to be.”