15 Finalists For Hall of Fame Election Announced

CANTON, OH – A team owner, two coaches, and twelve former players make up the 15-man list of finalists who will be considered for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as members of the Class of 2002. The former players include linebacker Harry Carson, tight end Dave Casper, defensive end L.C. Greenwood, punter Ray Guy, defensive lineman Dan Hampton, defensive backs Lester Hayes and Donnie Shell, quarterback Jim Kelly, offensive lineman Bob Kuechenberg, and wide receivers Art Monk, James Lofton, and John Stallworth. The owner making the list of finalists is Baltimore Ravens owner and CEO Art Modell. The coaches are Bill Parcells and George Allen. Allen is the recommended nominee of the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee that met earlier this year.

The modern-era finalists were determined by a vote of the Hall’s 38-member Board of Selectors from a preliminary group of 71 players, coaches and contributors. The selectors will meet in New Orleans, Louisiana on Saturday, February 2, to elect the Hall of Fame Class of 2002.

At the 2002 election meeting the selectors will thoroughly discuss the careers of each finalist before narrowing the field to the Seniors Committee nominee and six modern-era candidates. At least four modern-era candidates must be elected but the total class, including the Seniors Committee nominee, cannot number more than seven. Following the meeting, the newest Hall of Fame members will be announced at a press conference scheduled for 12:30 p.m. (EST) in the Super Bowl media center in the Earnest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

Listed alphabetically, the 15 finalists with their positions, NFL teams, and years active follow:

George Allen, Coach, 1966-1970 Los Angeles Rams, 1971-1977 Washington Redskins

Harry Carson, Linebacker, 1976-1988 New York Giants

Dave Casper, Tight End, 1974-1980 Oakland Raiders, 1980-1983 Houston Oilers, 1983 Minnesota Vikings, 1984 Los Angeles Raiders

L.C. Greenwood, Defensive End, 1969-1981 Pittsburgh Steelers

Ray Guy, Punter, 1973-1986 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders

James Lofton, Wide Receiver, 1978-1986 Green Bay Packers, 1987-1988 Los Angeles Raiders, 1989-1992
Buffalo Bills, 1993 Los Angeles Rams, 1993 Philadelphia Eagles

Art Modell, Contributor, 1961-1995 Cleveland Browns, 1996-present Baltimore Ravens

Art Monk, Wide Receiver, 1980-1993 Washington Redskins, 1994 New York Jets, 1995 Philadelphia Eagles

Bill Parcells, Coach 1983-1990 New York Giants, 1993-1996 New England Patriots, 1997-199 New York
Jets

To be eligible for election, modern-era players must be retired at least five years while a coach needs only to be retired. A nominee whose major contributions came in areas other than playing or coaching does not have to be retired to be considered. A Seniors Committee candidate, to be eligible for the 2002 class, must have completed at least 70 percent of his career by 1977. At the annual election meeting, the Seniors Committee nominee must receive the same affirmative majority – a minimum of 80 percent – required of any candidate to be elected.

Allen, Carson, Casper, Greenwood, Guy, Hampton, Hayes, Lofton, Monk, Parcells, and Stallworth have all been finalists in previous years. Although they have been eligible prior to this year, this is the first time that Kuechenberg, Modell, and Shell have been finalists. Only Kelly is a first-time eligible candidate.

Of the 2002 finalists, Allen, has been eligible 24 years, Greenwood for 16, Kuechenberg 14, Casper 13, Guy and Hayes 11, Shell and Stallworth 10, Carson nine, Hampton seven, Lofton four, Monk and Parcells two, and Kelly is eligible for the first time.

From this year’s list, nine finalists – Carson, Greenwood, Guy, Hampton, Hayes, Kelly, Kuechenberg, Shell, and Stallworth – spent their entire NFL career with just one team. Kelly, however, also played two seasons in the defunct United States Football League with the Houston Gamblers (1984-85).

Representatives of the international accounting firm Andersen will tabulate all votes during the meeting. At the press conference, they will present Hall of Fame Executive Director John Bankert with an envelope containing the names of the nominees elected. The Hall will contact each new member immediately after the announcement.

Enshrinement of the Class of 2002 will take place on the front steps of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, on Saturday, August 3, 2002.

IF ELECTED . . . SPECIAL NOTES ON 2002 FINALISTS
THE ROSTER OF HALL OF FAME MEMBERS COULD INCREASE FOR 11 NFL TEAMS

The Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers both have three finalists who spent all or a significant part of the their careers with those teams. The New York Giants and Washington Redskins are represented by two finalists, while the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, and St. Louis (Los Angeles) Rams, are represented with one finalist who spent all or a significant part of the their careers with those teams.

L.C. Greenwood, Donnie Shell, and/or John Stallworth will become the 17th, 18th, and/or 19th members of the Steelers to be elected. Other Steelers Hall of Fame members include Mel Blount, Terry Bradshaw, Bill Dudley, Joe Greene, Jack Ham, Franco Harris, John Henry Johnson, Walt Kiesling, Jack Lambert, Bobby Layne, Chuck Noll, Art Rooney, Dan Rooney, Ernie Stautner, Lynn Swann, and Mike Webster. Blount, Bradshaw, Greene, Ham, Harris, Lambert, Noll, Art Rooney, Dan Rooney, Swann, and Webster were all members of the four Steelers’ Super Bowl teams in the 1970s, as are the three Steelers nominees for 2002 election.

Dave Casper, Ray Guy and/or Lester Hayes will be the 11th, 12th and/or 13th Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders elected to the Hall. Fred Biletnikoff, George Blanda, Willie Brown, Al Davis, Mike Haynes, Ted Hendricks, Howie Long, Jim Otto, Art Shell, and Gene Upshaw are the other Raiders Hall of Famers.

George Allen and/or Art Monk will be the 15th and/or 16th Washington Redskins Hall of Fame member. They will join Cliff Battles, Sammy Baugh, Bill Dudley, Albert Glen “Turk” Edwards, Ray Flaherty, Joe Gibbs, Ken Houston, Sam Huff, Sonny Jurgensen, George Preston Marshall, Wayne Millner, Bobby Mitchell, John Riggins, and Charley Taylor.

George Allen will be the 13th member of the St. Louis (Los Angeles) Rams to be elected. He will join Eric Dickerson, Tom Fears, Elroy Hirsch, Deacon Jones, Tom Mack, Ollie Matson, Merlin Olsen, Dan Reeves, Jackie Slater, Norm Van Brocklin, Bob Waterfield, and Jack Youngblood.

Harry Carson and/or Bill Parcells will be the 17th and/or 18th member of the New York Giants to be elected. Red Badgro, Roosevelt Brown, Frank Gifford, Mel Hein, Sam Huff, Tuffy Leemans, Tim Mara, Wellington Mara, Steve Owen, Andy Robustelli, Ken Strong, Fran Tarkenton, Lawrence Taylor, Y.A. Tittle, Emlen Tunnell, and Arnie Weinmeister preceded them.

Dan Hampton will be the 26th Chicago Bears Hall of Famer. Doug Atkins, George Blanda, Dick Butkus, George Connor, Mike Ditka, John “Paddy” Driscoll, Jim Finks, Dan Fortmann, Bill George, Harold “Red” Grange, George Halas, Ed Healey, Bill Hewitt, Stan Jones, Sid Luckman, Link Lyman, George McAfee, George Musso, Bronko Nagurski, Walter Payton, Gale Sayers, Mike Singletary, Joe Stydahar, George Trafton, and Clyde “Bulldog” Turner are the others.

Jim Kelly will be the 4th member of the Buffalo Bills to be elected. Marv Levy, Billy Shaw, and O.J. Simpson are the other Bills Hall of Fame members.

Bob Kuechenberg will be the 9th long-time member of the Miami Dolphins to be elected. Nick Buoniconti, Larry Csonka, Bob Griese, Jim Langer, Larry Little, Don Shula, Dwight Stephenson, and Paul Warfield are the other Dolphins Hall of Fame members.

James Lofton will join 19 previously enshrined Green Bay Packers. He was preceded by Herb Adderley, Tony Canadeo, Willie Davis, Forrest Gregg, Arnie Herber, Clarke Hinkle, Paul Hornung, Cal Hubbard, Don Hutson, Henry Jordan, Curly Lambeau, Vince Lombardi, John “Blood” McNally, Mike Michalske, Ray Nitschke, Jim Ringo, Bart Starr, Jim Taylor, and Willie Wood

Art Modell will be the 15th long-time Cleveland Brown to be elected. Jim Brown, Paul Brown, Len Ford, Frank Gatski, Otto Graham, Lou Groza, Leroy Kelly, Dante Lavelli, Mike McCormack, Bobby Mitchell, Marion Motley, Ozzie Newsome, Paul Warfield, and Bill Willis are the other Browns Hall of Fame members.

Art Modell will become the first member of the Baltimore Ravens to be elected.

James Lofton, Art Monk, and/or John Stallworth will join 15 other modern-era receivers in the Hall of Fame. Other Hall of Fame receivers include Lance Alworth, Raymond Berry, Fred Biletnikoff, Tom Fears, Elroy Hirsch (also a halfback), Charlie Joiner, Steve Largent, Dante Lavelli, Don Maynard, Tommy McDonald, Bobby Mitchell (also a halfback), Pete Pihos, Lynn Swann, Charley Taylor (also a halfback), and Paul Warfield.

Dave Casper will become the 6th tight end to be elected. The five current Hall of Fame tight ends are Mike Ditka, John Mackey, Ozzie Newsome, Jackie Smith, and Kellen Winslow.

Lester Hayes and/or Donnie Shell will be the 17th and/or 18th modern-era defensive backs in the Hall of Fame. Other Hall of Fame defensive backs include Herb Adderley, Lem Barney, Mel Blount, Willie Brown, Jack Christiansen, Mike Haynes, Ken Houston, Jimmy Johnson, Paul Krause, Dick “Night Train” Lane, Yale Lary, Ronnie Lott, Mel Renfro, Emlen Tunnell, Larry Wilson, and Willie Wood.

Ray Guy would be the first player elected to the Hall who played exclusively as a punter.

Jim Kelly will be the 18th modern-era quarterback elected to the Hall of Fame. Other Hall of Fame quarterbacks include George Blanda, Terry Bradshaw, Len Dawson, Dan Fouts, Otto Graham, Bob Griese, Sonny Jurgensen, Bobby Layne, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Bart Starr, Roger Staubach, Fran Tarkenton, Y.A. Tittle, Johnny Unitas, Norm Van Brocklin, and Bob Waterfield.

Bob Kuechenberg will be the 28th modern-era offensive lineman and the 8th player who played primarily as a guard to be elected. Other Hall of Fame guards are John Hannah, Larry Little, Tom Mack, Mike Munchak, Jim Parker (G-T), Billy Shaw, and Gene Upshaw.

Dan Hampton and/or L.C. Greenwood will become the 10th and/or 11th modern-era defensive ends to be elected to the Hall of Fame. Other Hall of Fame defensive ends are Doug Atkins, Willie Davis, Len Ford, Deacon Jones, Howie Long, Gino Marchetti, Andy Robustelli, Lee Roy Selmon, and Jack Youngblood.

Dan Hampton, who split his time at two positions, will also become the 12th defensive tackle to be elected. He will join Buck Buchanan, Art Donovan, Joe Greene, Henry Jordan, Bob Lilly, Leo Nomellini, Merlin Olsen, Alan Page, Ernie Stautner, Arnie Weinmeister, and Randy White.

Harry Carson will be the 16th Hall of Fame linebacker, joining Bobby Bell, Nick Buoniconti, Dick Butkus, George Connor, Bill George, Jack Ham, Ted Hendricks, Sam Huff, Jack Lambert, Willie Lanier, Ray Nitschke, Joe Schmidt, Mike Singletary, Lawrence Taylor, and Dave Wilcox.

George Allen and/or Bill Parcells will be the 12th and/or13th modern-era coach elected to the Hall of Fame. They will join Paul Brown, Weeb Ewbank, Joe Gibbs, Sid Gillman, Bud Grant, Tom Landry, Marv Levy, Vince Lombardi, Chuck Noll, Don Shula, and Bill Walsh.

Art Modell will be the 13th team owner/administrator elected to the Hall of Fame. He would join Bert Bell, Charles Bidwill, Al Davis, George Halas, Lamar Hunt, Curly Lambeau, Tim Mara, Wellington Mara, George Preston Marshall, Dan Reeves, Art Rooney, and Dan Rooney.

For additional biographical information on the 15 finalists for the Class of 2002 visit our web site at www.profootballhof.com