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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT NOVEMBER 12, 2003 JOE HORRIGAN AT (330) 456-8207 Hall of Fame Modern-Era Semi-Finalist List Announced
CANTON, OH – Former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway and Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders, both first-year eligible players, head the list of 25 modern-era semi-finalist candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2004. The semi-finalists were chosen by the Hall of Fame’s Board of Selectors from the recently announced list of 67 nominees.
The list of 25 semi-finalists will be reduced by a mail ballot to 13 modern-era candidates. That list will increase to 15 finalist nominees with the addition of the two recommended candidates of the Hall of Fame’s Senior Committee. This year’s Seniors Committee nominees, who were announced in August, are Bob Brown an All-NFL tackle with the Philadelphia Eagles (1964-68), Los Angeles Rams (1969-70), and Oakland Raiders (1971-73) and Bob Hayes, an All-NFL wide receiver with the Dallas Cowboys (1965-74) and the San Francisco 49ers (1975). The Seniors Committee reviews the qualifications of those players, coaches, and contributors whose careers took place more than 25 years ago. The list of 15 finalists for the Class of 2004 will be announced in mid-January.
The list of 25 modern-era semi-finalists includes:
Cliff Branch, WR - 1972-85 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders Harry Carson*, LB – 1976-88 New York Giants Richard Dent, DE – 1983-93, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles Carl Eller, DE – 1964-78 Minnesota Vikings, 1979 Seattle Seahawks John Elway, QB – 1983-98 Denver Broncos Randy Gradishar, LB – 1974-83 Denver Broncos L. C. Greenwood, DE – 1969-81 Pittsburgh Steelers Russ Grimm, G – 1981-91 Washington Redskins Ray Guy, P – 1973-86 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders Cliff Harris, S – 1970-79 Dallas Cowboys Lester Hayes, CB – 1977-86 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders Claude Humphrey, DE – 1968-74, 1976-78 Atlanta Falcons, 1979-81 Philadelphia Eagles Bob Kuechenberg, G – 1970-84 Miami Dolphins Jim Marshall, DE – 1960 Cleveland Browns, 1961-79 Minnesota Vikings Art Modell, Owner – 1961-95 Cleveland Browns, 1996-present Baltimore Ravens Art Monk, WR – 1980-93 Washington Redskins, 1994 New York Jets, 1995 Philadelphia Eagles Barry Sanders, RB – 1989-98 Detroit Lions Donnie Shell, S – 1974-87 Pittsburgh Steelers Ken Stabler, QB – 1970-79 Oakland Raiders, 1980-81 Houston Oilers, 1982-84 New Orleans Saints Steve Tasker, Special Teams/WR – 1985-86 Houston Oilers, 1986-97 Buffalo Bills Roger Wehrli, CB – 1969-82 St. Louis Cardinals Ralph Wilson, Jr., Owner – 1959-present Buffalo Bills Rayfield Wright, T – 1967-79 Dallas Cowboys George Young*, Administrator/General Manager/Scout/Coach – 1998-2001 NFL, 1979-97 New York Giants, 1974-78 Miami Dolphins, 1968-73 Baltimore Colts Gary Zimmerman, T – 1986-92 Minnesota Vikings, 1993-97 Denver Broncos
To be considered for Hall of Fame election, a nominated player must have been retired at least five years. For a non-player, there is no mandatory retirement period, but a coach must be retired before he may be considered. A contributor, who is a nominee who has made outstanding contributions to pro football in capacities other than playing or coaching, may still be active in his pro football career.
The Class of 2004 will be determined at the Selection Committee’s annual meeting, which will be held on Saturday, January 31, 2004, in Houston, Texas, the day before Super Bowl XXXVIII. The election results will be announced immediately after the meeting at a press conference in the media headquarters. While there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the current ground rules do stipulate that between three and six new members will be selected each year.
*Carson and Young will automatically be included on of the list of finalists for the Class of 2004 because they finished in the top six in the voting last year. |