25 Modern-Era Semifinalists for Class of 2016 Announced

LIST CUT DOWN FROM 108 NOMINEES; 15 MODERN-ERA FINALISTS TO BE ANNOUNCED IN JANUARY

Three first-year eligible candidates – quarterback Brett Favre, guard Alan Faneca, and wide receiver Terrell Owens – are among the 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016.
 
Two other players, tackle Tony Boselli and linebacker Sam Mills, although previously eligible for the Hall, are semifinalists for the first time. All other individuals on the list have been a semifinalist in previous years.
 
The group of semifinalists includes 22 players (15 offense, 6 on defense and 1 special teams) and three coaches.
 
The year-round selection process is integral in fulfilling the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Mission to Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values and Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE.
 
The following is the complete list of Modern-Era semifinalists for the Class of 2016 with positions, years and teams listed. Also included are the number of times and years that each individual has been named a semifinalist since this reduction vote was added to the selection bylaws in 2004.
 

1. Morten Andersen

K – 1982-1994 New Orleans Saints, 1995-2000, 2006-07 Atlanta Falcons, 2001 New York Giants, 2002-03 Kansas City Chiefs, 2004 Minnesota Vikings | (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2013-16)

2. Steve Atwater

S – 1989-1998 Denver Broncos, 1999 New York Jets | (Times as a Semifinalist: 5 – 2012-16)

3. Tony Boselli

T – 1995-2001 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2002 Houston Texans (injured reserve) | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2016)

4. Isaac Bruce

WR – 1994-2007 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 2008-09 San Francisco 49ers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

5. Don Coryell

Coach – 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 8 – 2005, 2010-16)

6. Roger Craig

RB – 1983-1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-93 Minnesota Vikings | (Times as a Semifinalist: 8 – 2009-16)

7. Terrell Davis

RB – 1995-2001 Denver Broncos | (Times as a Semifinalist: 10 – 2007-2016)

8. Tony Dungy

Coach – 1996-2001 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2002-08 Indianapolis Colts | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2014-16)

9. Alan Faneca

G - 1998-2007 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2008-09 New York Jets, 2010 Arizona Cardinals | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2016)

10. Brett Favre

QB – 1991 Atlanta Falcons, 1992-2007 Green Bay Packers, 2008 New York Jets, 2009-2010 Minnesota Vikings | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2016)

11. Kevin Greene

LB/DE – 1985-1992 Los Angeles Rams, 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 10 – 2007-2016)

12. Marvin Harrison

WR – 1996-2008 Indianapolis Colts | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2014-16)

13. Torry Holt

WR – 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars| (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

14. Joe Jacoby

T – 1981-1993 Washington Redskins | (Times as a Semifinalist: 6 – 2005, 2008, 2013-16)

15. Edgerrin James

RB – 1999-2005 Indianapolis Colts, 2006-08 Arizona Cardinals, 2009 Seattle Seahawks | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

16. Jimmy Johnson

Coach – 1989-1993 Dallas Cowboys, 1996-99 Miami Dolphins | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2014-16)

17. Mike Kenn

T – 1978-1994 Atlanta Falcons| (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

18. Ty Law

CB – 1995-2004 New England Patriots, 2005, 2008 New York Jets, 2006- 07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2009 Denver Broncos| (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

19. John Lynch

FS – 1993-2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004-07 Denver Broncos | (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2013-16)

20. Kevin Mawae

C/G – 1994-97 Seattle Seahawks, 1998-2005 New York Jets, 2006-09 Tennessee Titans| (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

21. Karl Mecklenburg

LB – 1983-1994 Denver Broncos | (Times as a Semifinalist: 5 – 2012-16)

22. Sam Mills

LB – 1986-1994 New Orleans Saints, 1995-97 Carolina Panthers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2016)

23. Terrell Owens

WR – 1996-2003 San Francisco 49ers, 2004-05 Philadelphia Eagles, 2006-08 Dallas Cowboys, 2009 Buffalo Bills, 2010 Cincinnati Bengals | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2016)

24. Orlando Pace

T – 1997-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Chicago Bears| (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

25. Kurt Warner

QB – 1998-2003 St. Louis Rams, 2004 New York Giants, 2005-09 Arizona Cardinals| (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

To be considered for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a nominated player or coach must not have participated as an active player or coach for five consecutive seasons.
 
The list of 25 semifinalists will be reduced by mail ballot to 15 Modern-Era Finalists in January. That list increases to 18 finalists with the inclusion of the recommended nominees of the Hall of Fame’s Contributors and Seniors Committees. The 2016 Senior Finalists are Ken Stabler (QB – 1970-79 Oakland Raiders, 1980-81 Houston Oilers, 1982-84 New Orleans Saints) and Dick Stanfel (G – 1952-55 Detroit Lions, 1956-58 Washington Redskins). The 2016 Contributor Finalist is former San Francisco 49ers owner (1977-2000) Edward DeBartolo, Jr.

DeBartolo, Stabler and Stanfel will be voted on separately and, like all other finalists, must receive 80% positive vote from the full Selection Committee during the annual selection meeting on Saturday, February 6, 2016 in San Francisco, the day before Super Bowl 50.
 
Although there is no set number of enshrinees for any Hall of Fame Class, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s current bylaws stipulate that between four and eight new members will be selected each year. No more than five Modern-Era Finalists can be elected in a given year. Therefore, a class of six, seven, or eight can only be achieved if one or more of the Contributor and Seniors Finalists are elected.
 
The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016 will be announced during “NFL Honors,” a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally on the eve of the Super Bowl from 9-11 p.m. (ET and PT) on CBS. “NFL Honors” will be taped earlier that evening at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco from 8-10 p.m. (ET) when the 2016 Hall of Fame class will be introduced for the first time. In addition, the NFL and The Associated Press will announce their annual accolades in this awards show with the winners on hand to accept their awards.
 
The Class of 2016 will be officially enshrined in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Saturday, August 6 in Canton, Ohio as the main event of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Annual Enshrinement Week.

Tickets

The 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week included record crowds for the Enshrinement, NFL/Hall of Fame Game and Concert for Legends. Now, for the first time ever, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is offering fans the opportunity to guarantee tickets to the three biggest events of the Enshrinement Week through an exclusive Pre-sale Program. Fans can visit ProFootballHOF.com/tickets now and pay a nominal one-time ticket reservation fee to guarantee tickets to the 2016 events, or enter a random ticket lottery.
 
The Pro Football Hall of Fame also offers Official Fan Packages that provide fans with VIP experiences, premium seats, and parties with Gold Jackets (living Hall of Famers) during the 2016 Enshrinement Week. Official Fan Packages for the 2016 Enshrinement Week are on sale now at HOFExperiences.com.

Fan Vote

For the third consecutive year, fans can visit nfl.com/hofvote and vote for their favorite Pro Football Hall of Fame nominee, presented by Ford, The Official Automobile of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Fans can also enter for a chance to win a 2016 Ford F- 150 plus the ultimate football fan package, a VIP trip to Canton for the 2016 Enshrinement Weekend by going to Fordhalloffame.com.