Will Shields and Willie Roaf are finalists for the Hall of Fame

[Rain Man]

http://www.profootballhof.com/enshri...012-finalists/

Class of 2012 Finalists
01/07/2012

Two first-year eligible nominees – coach Bill Parcells and tackle Will Shields – are among the 15 modern-era finalists who will be considered for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame when the Hall’s Selection Committee meets in Indianapolis, Ind. on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012.

Joining the first-year eligible, are 12 modern-era players and a contributor. The 15 modern-era finalists, along with the two senior nominees announced in August 2011 (former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jack Butler and former Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins guard Dick Stanfel) will be the only candidates considered for Hall of Fame election when the 44-member Selection Committee meets. To be elected, a finalist must receive a minimum positive vote of 80 percent.

Although technically a first-year eligible candidate, Parcells has been a finalist twice before (2001, 2002) following his announced retirement as head coach of the New York Jets in 1999. At the time the Hall of Fame By-Laws did not require a coach to be retired the now mandatory five seasons. Parcells returned to coach the Dallas Cowboys in 2003 and the five-year waiting period was in effect when he retired from coaching in 2006.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee’s 17 finalists (15 modern-era and two senior nominees*) with their positions, teams, and years active follow:

See detailed capsule bios on the 17 Finalists>>>
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

Jack Butler* – Cornerback – 1951-59 Pittsburgh Steelers

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

Dermontti Dawson – Center – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers

Edward DeBartolo, Jr. – Owner – 1977-2000 San Francisco 49ers

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

Kevin Greene – Linebacker/Defensive End – 1985-1992 Los Angeles Rams, 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers

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

Cortez Kennedy – Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks

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

Bill Parcells – Coach – 1983-1990 New York Giants, 1993-96 New England Patriots, 1997-99 New York Jets, 2003-06 Dallas Cowboys

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

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

Will Shields – Guard – 1993-2006 Kansas City Chiefs

Dick Stanfel* – Guard – 1952-55 Detroit Lions, 1956-58 Washington Redskins

Aeneas Williams – Cornerback/Safety – 1991-2000 Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, 2001-04 St. Louis Rams

In addition to Parcells, other finalists who have been eligible in previous years include Bettis, Brown, Carter, Dawson, Doleman, Haley, Kennedy, Martin, Reed, Roaf and Stanfel. Although they were eligible in previous years, this is the first time Butler, DeBartolo, Greene and Williams have been finalists.

From this year’s list, four players – Butler, Dawson, Kennedy, and Shields spent their entire NFL career with just one team.

Butler and Stanfel were selected as senior candidates by the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee at their August 2011 meeting. The Seniors Committee reviews the qualifications of those players whose careers took place more than 25 years ago. The remaining 15 modern-era finalists were determined by a vote of the Hall’s 44-member Selection Committee from a list of 105 preliminary nominees that earlier was reduced to a list of 26 semifinalists.

To be eligible for election, modern-era players and coaches must be retired at least five consecutive seasons. Contributors need not be retired.

Doleman, Greene, and Haley have been eligible for eight years. Dawson, Kennedy, and Reed have each been eligible for election for seven years, Carter five years, and Brown and Williams three years. Bettis, Martin and Roaf are in their second year of eligibility. Since the retirement minimum for a player prior to 1968 was three years, senior nominees Butler and Stanfel have been eligible since 1963 when the Hall of Fame first opened.

The Selection Committee will meet in Indianapolis, Ind. on Saturday, February 4, 2012, to elect the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2012. The election results will be announced at 5:30 p.m. ET during a one-hour NFL Network special, live from the Super Bowl Media Center. The Class of 2012 will be the 50th class to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

At the 2012 selection meeting, the selectors will thoroughly discuss the careers of each finalist. Although there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s current ground rules stipulate that between four and seven new members will be selected each year. No more than five modern-era nominees can be elected in a given year and a class of six or seven can only be achieved if one or both senior nominees are elected. Representatives of the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche will tabulate all votes during the meeting.

At the announcement, Pro Football Hall of Fame President/Executive Director Steve Perry will be presented with an envelope containing the names of the nominees elected. Each newly elected member will be contacted immediately by the Hall of Fame. Members of the Class of 2012 in Indianapolis for the Super Bowl will be asked to join the live announcement show. Those not able to attend will be asked to join via teleconference.

[splatbass]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Edward DeBartolo, Jr. – I don't get this at all. Didn't he get forced to sell the team?

While he owned the team it was a dynasty. FIVE Super Bowl wins. The team sucked before he owned it and sucked after he left, but was consistently one of the top teams while he owned it. He was forced to sell because of legal issues unrelated to football. He deserves to be in the HoF.

[Bump]

Roaf and Shields should def make it, I have a feeling though that Shields will get snubbed big time though.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by Bump

Roaf and Shields should def make it, I have a feeling though that Shields will get snubbed big time though.

of course he will. He played Guard, and never won a ring. 2 huge knocks.

[Bump]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

of course he will. He played Guard, and never won a ring. 2 huge knocks.

he did his ****ing part and everything he could to win, sucks we always had too many holes. Guard isn't a position that doesn't matter, o-linemen deserve more credit than they get.

[Smed1065]

Figure the odds that this poll is fixed per site.

[The Bad Guy]

This team had 2 HOF lineman on it, another all-pro guard, and a center who set the snaps streak at the position and they didn't win a ****ing playoff game with that group.

****ing hilarious.

[HMc]

The biggest injustice in this thread is calling Charles Haley only a solid player.

[FloridaMan88]

Cris Carter is not a HOF WR.

He had four years of being an elite #1 WR '93-'97 and then he was essentially a #2 WR to Randy Moss during his remaining time in Minnesota.

Cris Carter's position in the media, especially at ESPN is helping inflate his cause for the HOF, when his resume is lacking.

[DaKCMan AP]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

of course he will. He played Guard, and never won a ring. 2 huge knocks.

Randall McDaniel got in.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsfan50/50

Cris Carter is not a HOF WR.

He had four years of being an elite #1 WR '93-'97 and then he was essentially a #2 WR to Randy Moss during his remaining time in Minnesota.

You definitely sparked my interest, so I decided to Google it...

He was 2nd to Rice in both receptions and TDs at one time (passed by 2 or 3 guys now) and he's one of a half dozen WR in history to catch 1000 receptions.

He's the only player in NFL history to have 2 seasons with 120 or more catches.

And he currently holds the record for most consecutive games with at least 3 receptions (58 straight games).

I would have said he wasn't HoF worthy prior to looking this stuff up. Not sure I'm 100% convinced but his body of work is more impressive than I thought it was going in.

Originally Posted by KCChiefsfan50/50

Cris Carter's position in the media, especially at ESPN is helping inflate his cause for the HOF, when his resume is lacking.

This is pure BS. He's been eligible for like 4 or 5 years and hasn't gotten in yet.

[BoneKrusher]

gotta love Shields (3rd round )
he was the Chiefs first draft pick in 93 after the 1st and 2nd round picks were traded for Montana. (he played like a 1st rounder his entire Career.)

[58-4ever]

When Roaf was healthy, he was the most dominant tackle that I've ever seen. He SHUT DOWN every elite pass rusher that he faced.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

Randall McDaniel got in.

Originally Posted by Bump

he did his ****ing part and everything he could to win, sucks we always had too many holes. Guard isn't a position that doesn't matter, o-linemen deserve more credit than they get.

All I'm saying is he's fighting an uphill battle. Guard is the most anonymous position on a football team, and when you have no rings, i makes it even harder to get in. Just telling you how hall voters think, not how I feel.

[beach tribe]

Originally Posted by KC Tattoo

I thought Cortez Kennedy was a beast at times, but would disappear other times, memory kind of foggy on him now. Maybe I just don't want to remember. I know I hated the Seasucks for summ reason?

& still do.

This'll get the gears from that era turning.

[Backwards Masking]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

It's fitting that the two most overrated RBs in history, Martin and Bettis, are finalists together.

This x 1000.

And while I wouldn't consider Faulk Overrated (generally speaking), the fact is he was 10-12th greatest RB of all time. His First Ballot induction over Willie Roaf last year (who was Top 3, if not the single Greatest Left Tackle To Ever Play The Game) was an insult to knowledgable football fans everywhere, and a giant Black Mark on the entire Hall Of Shame IMO.