Hi Gary,
I have been away for over two yrs and just now getting back into the saw dust and having a ball. Not knowing your design for the plaque I will give you my take on an idea.
I would make the plaque part in the shape of a football and maybe use a light tanish or brown wood. then add the names to it by either small chains or even tied leater. You could use the name slabs in either the same wood as the plaque or in a different wood each yr. If you need a drawing I could do one for you to show you what I have in mind. Hope this helps some.
Pop Moon