Initial Pro Football Hall of Fame Candidates

Kinda surprised they could only find one tight end.

Pick 25 semifinalists from this group:

First-year Eligible Nominees

Quarterback - Trent Green

Running Backs - Shaun Alexander, Warrick Dunn

Wide Receiver - Marvin Harrison

Offensive Linemen - Willie Anderson (T), Walter Jones (T)

Linebackers - Derrick Brooks, Tedy Bruschi, Willie McGinest (also DE), Zach Thomas

Defensive Backs - Rodney Harrison (S), Sam Madison (CB), Patrick Surtain (CB)

Coaches - Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden, Mike Holmgren

Additional Nominees

Quarterbacks - Drew Bledsoe, Randall Cunningham, Doug Flutie, Steve McNair, Phil Simms

Running Backs - Ottis Anderson, Tiki Barber, Jerome Bettis, Larry Centers, Roger Craig, Stephen Davis, Terrell Davis, Eddie George, Priest Holmes, Dave Meggett (also PR/KR), Eric Metcalf (also WR/PR/KR), Herschel Walker, Ricky Watters

Wide Receivers - Tim Brown (also KR), Gary Clark, Mark Clayton, Henry Ellard (also PR), Keyshawn Johnson, Keenan McCardell, Andre Reed, Sterling Sharpe, Jimmy Smith, Rod Smith

Tight End - Mark Bavaro

Offensive Linemen - Tony Boselli (T), Lomas Brown (T), Jim Covert (T), Jay Hilgenberg (C), Chris Hinton (G/T), Kent Hull (C), Joe Jacoby (T), Mike Kenn (T), Jim Lachey (T), Don Mosebar (C), Tom Nalen (C), Nate Newton (G), Will Shields (G), Steve Wisniewski (G)

Defensive Linemen - Jerome Brown (DT), Charles Haley (DE/LB), Ed “Too Tall” Jones (DE), Dexter Manley (DE), Charles Mann (DE), Steve McMichael (DT/NT), Fred Smerlas (NT), Michael Strahan (DE), Ted Washington (DT/NT), Bryant Young (DE)

Linebackers - Cornelius Bennett, Kevin Greene (LB/DE), Ken Harvey, Clay Matthews, Karl Mecklenburg, Sam Mills, Darryl Talley

Defensive Backs - Eric Allen (CB), Steve Atwater (S), Joey Browner (S), LeRoy Butler (S), Albert Lewis (CB), John Lynch (S), Troy Vincent (S), Everson Walls (CB), Aeneas Williams (CB/S), Darren Woodson (S)

Kickers/Punter - Morten Andersen (K), Gary Anderson (K), Sean Landeta (P), Nick Lowery (K)

Special Teams/Position Player - Brian Mitchell (also RB), Steve Tasker (also WR)

Coaches - Bill Arnsparger, Don Coryell, Bill Cowher, Tom Flores, Jimmy Johnson, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Richie Petitbon, Dan Reeves, Lou Saban, Marty Schottenheimer, Clark Shaughnessy, Dick Vermeil

Contributors - K. S. (Bud) Adams, Jr., Bobby Beathard, Gil Brandt, Leo Carlin, Red Cashion, Jack Kent Cooke, Otho Davis, Edward DeBartolo, Jr., Ron Gibbs, Jerry Jones, Eddie Kotal, Robert Kraft, Elmer Layden, Art McNally, Art Modell, Bill Polian, Steve Sabol, Paul Tagliabue, Jim Tunney, Ron Wolf, George Young

 

Done quickly:

Shaun Alexander
Marvin Harrison
Walter Jones
Derrick Brooks
Zach Thomas
Rodney Harrison
Tiki Barber
Jerome Bettis
Roger Craig
Tim Brown
Andre Reed
Will Shields
Tom Nalen
Charles Haley
Ed "Too Tall" Jones
Michael Strahan
Bryant Young
Cornelius Bennett
John Lynch
Aeneas Williams
Darren Woodson
Bill Cowher
Don Coryell
Jerry Jones
Paul Tagliabue

 

Whats the criteria for headcoaches? A bunch of 1st place finishes and 1 Super Bowl win? Then Dungy and Cowher both belong in. There has to be more to it.

Let Jerry Jones in, posthumously. He doesn't deserve to bask in the Canton heat while alive, he'll have plenty of time in bask in the heat in the afterlife.

 

Jerry Jones? Really?

 

Jerry Jones seems like a lock, even if it's posthumous.

 

If Ralph Wilson is in the Hall for essentially nothing meritorious, Jerry will get in.

 

Eddie DeBartolo was the hot candidate last year.

Jerry Jones has done 10 times more for the league than DeBartolo did, and is also not a felon.

 

That will be one hell of a debate.

I think the bar for owners to get in should be really, really high... The guys who were instrumental in forming the league as we now know it? Mara, Rooney, Hunt, Davis, Wilson ... Absolutely. Beyond that group of guys, I don't know of anyone who should be an obvious selection. I think Modell should be in based on his contribution to the revenue sharing and giving up his own network because it was for the good of the league.

The current group? I'm sure Kraft will get in, but I would have no problems if none of them got in.

 

I'm bracing myself for Dungy to go in on the first ballot.