sign in sign up
<<
Home , Darren Woodson, Isaac Bruce, Marv Woodson, Torry Holt

For Immediate Release For More Information, Contact: November 18, 2014 Joe Horrigan at (330) 588-3627 Pete Fierle at (330) 588-3622

MODERN-ERA SEMIFINALSTS NAMED FOR CLASS OF 2015 CUTDOWN TO 15 MODERN-ERA FINALISTS TAKES PLACE IN JANUARY

CANTON, OHIO – Eight first-year eligible candidates are among 26 Modern-Era semifinalists being co nsidered for the Pro Football Hall o f Fame’s Class o f 2015. The Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee chose the semifinalists fro m a previo usly announced list of 113 nominees. Altho ugh Hall o f Fame bylaws call fo r the selectio n o f 25 semifinalists they also pro vide that the semifinalist list include all ties fo r the twenty-fifth position, as has occurred this year.

The first-year nominees amo ng the semifinalists include quarterback , wide receivers and , , o ffensive linemen and , linebacker , and cornerback back .

Two other players, tackle Mike Kenn and safety Darren Woodson, are semifinalists fo r the first time. All o ther individuals o n the list have been a semifinalist at least o nce in previo us years.

The selection process is an integral element o f the Pro Fo o tball Hall o f Fame’s Mission to Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values and Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE.

The co mplete list o f Modern-Era semifinalists is as fo llo ws:

• , K – 1982-1994 , 1995-2000, 2006-07 Atlanta Falcons, 2001 New York Giants, 2002-03 Kansas City Chiefs, 2004 • , S – 1989-1998 Denver Broncos, 1999 New York Jets • , RB – 1993-95 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 1996-2005 • Tim Brown, WR/KR – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers • Isaac Bruce, WR – 1994-2007 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 2008-09

OUR MISSION: Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values & Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE.

• Don Coryell, Coach – 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers • Roger Craig, RB – 1983-1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-93 Minnesota Vikings • , RB – 1995-2001 Denver Broncos • , Coach – 1996-2001 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2002-08 • Kevin Greene, LB/DE – 1985-1992 , 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers • , DE/LB – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 • , WR – 1996-2008 Indianapolis Colts • Torry Holt, WR – 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 • Joe Jacoby, T – 1981-1993 Washington Redskins • Edgerrin James, RB – 1999-2005 Indianapolis Colts, 2006-08 Arizona Cardinals, 2009 Seattle Seahawks • Jimmy Johnson, Coach – 1989-1993 Dallas Cowboys, 1996-99 Miami Dolphins • Mike Kenn, T – 1978-1994 Atlanta Falcons • Ty Law, CB – 1995-2004 , 2005, 2008 New York Jets, 2006-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2009 Denver Broncos • John Lynch, FS – 1993-2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004-07 Denver Bronc os • Kevin Mawae, C/G – 1994-97 Seattle Seahawks, 1998-2005 New York Jets, 2006-09 • Karl Mecklenburg, LB – 1983-1994 Denver Broncos • Orlando Pace, T – 1997-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Chicago Bears • Junior Seau, LB – 1990-2002 San Diego Chargers, 2003-05 Miami Dolphins, • 2006-09 New England Patriots • , G – 1993-2006 Kansas City Chiefs • Kurt Warner, QB – 1998-2003 St. Louis Rams, 2004 New York Giants, 2005-09 Arizona Cardinals • Darren Woodson, S – 1992-2003 Dallas Cowboys

The list o f 26 semifinalists will be reduced by mail ballo t to 15 Modern-Era Finalists. That list increases to 18 finalists with the inclusion of the two recommended candidates of the Hall of Fame’s Contributors Committee and o ne finalist as selected by the Seniors Committee.

The Contributor Finalists are fo rmer lo ngtime general managers and team executives and . Minnesota Vikings center (1962-1978) is the 2015 Seniors Finalist. Po lian, Wo lf, and Tingelho ff will be vo ted o n separately and, like all o ther finalists, must receive 80% positive vote from the full selection committee during the annual selection meeting on January 31, 2015.

The results of the Modern-Era reduction vote to 15 finalists will be anno unced during a one-hour special on NFL Network on Thursday, January 8 at 9 p.m. ET.

To be co nsidered fo r electio n to the Pro Fo o tball Hall o f Fame, a no minated player or coach must not have participated as an active player or coach for five consecutive seasons.

Although there is no set number of enshrinees for any Hall of Fame Class, the Pro Fo o tball Hall o f Fame’s current gro und rules stipulate that between four and eight new members will be selected each year. No more than five Modern-Era nominees

OUR MISSION: Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values & Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE.

can be elected in a given year and a class of six, seven, or eight can only be achieved if one or more of the Contributor and Seniors Finalists are elected.

The Class of 2015 will be determined at the Selection Committee's annual meeting on Saturday, January 31, 2015 in Pho enix, Ariz ., the day before XLIX. The Pro Fo o tball Hall o f Fame’s Class of 2015 will be announced during “4th Annual NFL Honors,” a two-ho ur primetime awards special to air natio nally that evening from 9-11 p.m. (ET) on NBC. “NFL Ho no rs” will be taped earlier that evening at Sympho ny Hall in Pho enix, Ariz . fro m 8-10 p.m. (ET) when the 2015 Hall o f Fame class will be intro duced fo r the first time. In additio n, the NFL and The Asso ciated Press will announce their annual accolades in this awards show with the winners on hand to accept their awards.

The Class of 2015 will be officially enshrined on Saturday, Aug. 8 in Canton, Ohio as the main event of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Annual Enshrinement Festival Celebratio n.

VIP Fan Packages VIP fan packages are on sale now. Football fans can begin to plan a trip to Canton to see the Enshrinement Ceremony. Fans will receive VIP experiences and coveted amenities through exclusive events, including VIP seating, receptions, tailgates and more. VIP fan packages are available online at ProFootballHOF.com/Tickets or by calling 1-884-4HOFTIX.

Fan Vote For the second straight year, fans can visit nfl.com/hofvote and vote for their favorite Pro Football Hall of Fame nominee, presented by Fo rd, The Official Automobile of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Fans can also enter a sweepstakes to win a Fo rd F-150 with ECOBOOST plus the ultimate fo o tball fan package, a VIP trip to Canton for Enshrinement Weekend by going to FordHallOfFame.com.

#PFHOF15 – Media and fans are encouraged to utilize the hashtag #PFHOF15 while sharing o n so cial media regarding the selectio n pro cess and semifinalists fo r the Class of 2015.

###

About Pro Football Hall of Fame Located in Canton, Ohio, the birthplace of the , the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s mission is to Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values, & Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE. For more information, please visit ProFootballHOF.com; @ProFootballHOF on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

OUR MISSION: Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values & Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE.