Pro Football Hall of Fame List Shrinks, but Remains Incomplete | by Andrew Das

The Pro Football Hall of Fame reduced its list of finalists for election this year to 15 on Sunday (well, 17 with the two senior committee members — noted with asterisks below). And it will be tough to pare this group.

The final class, to be announced the day before the Super Bowl in February, will include four to seven members, but no more than five modern-era nominees.

Follow up:

The names who made the cut:

Jerome Bettis – Running Back – 1993-95 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 1996-2005 Pittsburgh Steelers

Tim Brown – Wide Receiver/Kick Returner – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cris Carter – Wide Receiver – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins

Dermontti Dawson – Center – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers

Richard Dent – Defensive End – 1983-1993, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles

Chris Doleman – Defensive End/Linebacker – 1985-1993, 1999 Minnesota Vikings, 1994-95 Atlanta Falcons, 1996-98 San Francisco 49ers

Marshall Faulk – Running Back – 1994-98 Indianapolis Colts, 1999-2005 St. Louis Rams

Charles Haley – Defensive End/Linebacker – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys

*Chris Hanburger – Linebacker – 1965-1978 Washington Redskins

Cortez Kennedy – Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks

Curtis Martin – Running Back – 1995-97 New England Patriots, 1998-2005 New York Jets

Andre Reed – Wide Receiver – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins

*Les Richter – Linebacker – 1954-1962 Los Angeles Rams

Willie Roaf – Tackle – 1993-2001 New Orleans Saints, 2002-05 Kansas City Chiefs

Ed Sabol – Founder/President/Chairman – 1964-1995 NFL Films

Deion Sanders – Cornerback/Kick Returner/Punt Returner – 1989-1993 Atlanta Falcons, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1995-99 Dallas Cowboys, 2000 Washington Redskins, 2004-05 Baltimore Ravens

Shannon Sharpe – Tight End – 1990-99, 2002-03 Denver Broncos, 2000-01 Baltimore Ravens

It’s nice to see Ed Sabol on the list, since in some ways his contributions to professional football through NFL Films shaped the image of the league in ways that put him on the level of some of its greatest players and coaches.

But that also draws attention to the fact that Don Coryell, the legendary Chargers coach and passing innovator who died last year, won’t be considered yet again. And that’s nothing short of an injustice, since several players already in the Hall, as well as a few on the list above (Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Andre Reed, Shannon Sharpe), owe a debt his Coryell’s contributions to football.

One could argue that he literally changed the way the game is played.