CANTON, OHIO –Quarterback Brett Favre, who retired as the National Football League's all-time leader in nearly every passing category, along with wide receiver Terrell Owens, guard Alan Faneca and safety Lawyer Milloy headline a list of first-time eligible Modern Era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2016. The group also includes all the finalists from last year who were not elected. Those nominees are: kicker Morten Andersen, coaches Don Coryell, Tony Dungy andJimmy Johnson; running back Terrell Davis, linebacker/defensive end Kevin Greene, wide receiver Marvin Harrison, safety John Lynch, tackle Orlando Pace and quarterback Kurt Warner.
The list of Modern Era nominees includes a total of 108 individuals under consideration for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2016. The nominees consist of 93 players (51 offense, 33 defense, 9 special teams) and 15 coaches. The Modern Era nominees will be trimmed to 25 semifinalists in November and, from there, to 15 finalists in January.
Eighteen finalists will be presented to the full 46-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee during its annual selection meeting on the eve of Super Bowl 50. The finalists will consist of 15 Modern Era finalists, the recently named senior candidates, Ken Stabler and Dick Stanfel, and 2016 contributor candidate Edward DeBartolo, Jr.
The Selection Committee will meet on Saturday, February 6, 2016 in San Francisco to elect the Class of 2016. While there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the selection process by-laws provide that between four and eight new members will be selected.
The Senior finalists and Contributor finalist will be voted "yes" or "no" for election at the annual selection meeting and must receive at least 80 percent support from the Committee to be elected. The Modern Era finalists will be trimmed during the meeting from 15 to 10 and then from 10 to 5. The remaining five finalists will be voted on individually, "yes" or "no" and must receive the same 80 percent positive vote as the seniors and contributor candidates to earn election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Class of 2016 will be announced during the "NFL Honors" nationally broadcast award show that evening.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2016 will be formally enshrined on Saturday, August 6, 2016. The enshrinement is one of three marquee events held in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium during the Enshrinement Weekend along with the Concert for Legends and the NFL/Hall of Fame Game.
The annual Enshrinement Ceremony is televised nationally by the Hall of Fame's broadcast partners, NFL Network and ESPN.
Modern Era Nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2016
(108 nominees)
*Finalist in 2015; CAPS UNDERLINED indicate first year of eligibility
QUARTERBACKS (6)
Drew Bledsoe, BRETT FAVRE, Steve McNair, Phil Simms, Vinny Testaverde, *Kurt Warner
RUNNING BACKS(15)
Shaun Alexander, Ottis Anderson, Tiki Barber, Roger Craig, Stephen Davis, *Terrell Davis, Eddie George, Priest Holmes, Edgerrin James, Daryl Johnston, Jamal Lewis, CLINTON PORTIS, Herschel Walker (also KR), Ricky Watters, BRIAN WESTBROOK
WIDE RECEIVERS (9)
Isaac Bruce, Gary Clark, Henry Ellard (also PR), *Marvin Harrison, Torry Holt, TERRELL OWENS, Sterling Sharpe, Jimmy Smith, Rod Smith
TIGHT ENDS (2)
Mark Bavaro, Jay Novacek
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (19)
Tony Boselli (T), Jeff Bostic (C), Jim Covert (T), ALAN FANECA (G), Jay Hilgenberg (C), Chris Hinton (G/T), Kent Hull (C), Joe Jacoby (T), Jon Jansen (T), Mike Kenn (T), Jim Lachey (T), Kevin Mawae (C/G), Mark May (G/T/C), Tom Nalen (C), Nate Newton (G), *Orlando Pace (T), Chris Samuels (T), Mark Schlereth (G), Steve Wisniewski (G)
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (6)
Dexter Manley (DE), Charles Mann (DE), Leslie O'Neal (DE), Simeon Rice (DE), Fred Smerlas (NT), Bryant Young (DT)
LINEBACKERS (13)
Cornelius Bennett, Tedy Bruschi, KEITH BULLUCK, *Kevin Greene (also DE), Ken Harvey, Levon Kirkland, Clay Matthews, Willie McGinest (also DE), Karl Mecklenburg, Matt Millen, Sam Mills, Zach Thomas, MIKE VRABEL
DEFENSIVE BACKS (14)
Eric Allen (CB), Steve Atwater (S), Joey Browner (S), LeRoy Butler (S), Rodney Harrison (S), Ty Law (CB), Albert Lewis (CB), *John Lynch (S), LAWYER MILLOY (SS), DARREN SHARPER (FS), Shawn Springs (CB), Troy Vincent (CB/S), Everson Walls (CB), Darren Woodson (S)
KICKERS/PUNTER (6)
*Morten Andersen (K), Gary Anderson (K), JOHN CARNEY (K), Jason Elam (K), Sean Landeta (P), Nick Lowery (K)
SPECIAL TEAMS/POSITION PLAYERS(3)
ETHAN ALBRIGHT (LS), Brian Mitchell (KR/PR also RB), Steve Tasker (also WR)
COACHES(15)
*Don Coryell, Bill Cowher, *Tony Dungy, Tom Flores, Mike Holmgren, *Jimmy Johnson, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Richie Petitbon, Dan Reeves, Pete Rodriguez, Lou Saban, Marty Schottenheimer, Clark Shaughnessy, Dick Vermeil
Tickets
The 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend 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 Weekend through an exclusive Pre-sale Program. Fans can visit ProFootballHOF.com/tickets now and pay a nominal one-time ticket reservation fee to ensure the opportunity to purchase tickets to the 2016 events, or enter a random ticket lottery.
Official Fan Packages to the 2016 Enshrinement Weekend are already on sale and may be purchased at HOFExperiences.com.
Fan Vote
For the third consecutive year, fans can visit nfl.com/hofvoteand 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.
