NFL Legends Inch Closer to Hall of Fame, Titans of Game Wait Long Years
The Pro Football Hall of Fame just took another step closer towards enshrining new gridiron heroes. Announced Tuesday, five exceptional figures, revered both for their skills and their contributions to the sport, have emerged as finalists for the Class of 2025.
Among them stands Mike Holmgren, the mastermind behind the Green Bay Packers’ triumphant Super Bowl XXXI victory.
"As the coach of the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008, he led the franchise to six postseason appearances and an NFC Championship Game. In Super Bowl XL, his Seahawks lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers," recalls the team’s remarkable journey.
Sharing this prestigious stage is Sterling Sharpe, the Packers’ explosively talented wide receiver whose career, though cut tragically short by a neck injury, blazed with brilliance. Sharpe ignited the record books in 1992, becoming only the sixth player to achieve the coveted receiving triple crown.
“He broke his own record with 112 catches in 1993 and led the NFL with 18 touchdown receptions in his final season (1994),” the record books reveal, forever etching Sharpe’s name among the NFL’s elite receivers.
Maxie Baughan, a nine-time Pro Bowl linebacker who intimidated offenses for the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams in the 1960s, also joins the finalists’ circle. Imposing offensive lineman Jim Tyrer, who anchored the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive line throughout the 1960s and 1970s, rounds out the players’ nominees. Tyrer’s selection, however, comes tinged with controversy, as his legacy is marked by a tragic murder-suicide in 1980.
The final nominee, Ralph Hay, co-founder of the NFL and owner of the Canton Bulldogs, stands as a building block of the sport’s history.
Hay, noted for organizing the first meeting of the teams that would ultimately form the NFL –
"He is recognized for organizing the first meeting of teams that formed the American Professional Football Association, the precursor to the NFL,"
- ushered in a new era for American football and lies at the root of the league’s enduring franchise.
This year, however, saw a familiar face miss the cut. Robert Kraft, the architect of the New England Patriots’ dynasty, experienced his thirteenth snub by the contributors committee.
This latest round of selections sets the stage for a riveting finale. The full committee of 50 Hall of Fame voters will convene early next year to cast their decisive ballots. Eighty percent of the votes are needed for enshrinement, and a maximum of three inductees will join football’s pantheon under new rules.
Adding to the drama, should none of the five finalists meet the 80% threshold, the highest vote-getter among them will still receive the hallowed honor.
This much-anticipated announcement comes as the NFL prepares to celebrate its annual Super Bowl week in New Orleans next February. There, the world will finally learn who will be etched forever into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The story of these football legends will continue to inspire generations to come.
