Former Green Bay Packers coach Mike Holmgren and wide receiver Sterling Sharpe are among the five Hall of Fame finalists for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025. The Hall of Fame has announced their coach, contributor and senior candidates who will now need to receive 80% of the vote during the weekend of this year's Super Bowl in order to be inducted this summer in Canton, Ohio.
Along with Holmgren and Sharpe, contributor Ralph Hay and senior candidates Maxie Baughan and Jim Tyrer also made the cut. A player needed to play no later than 1999 to be eligible to be inducted as a senior candidate.
An innovative offensive mind who coached several Hall of Fame quarterbacks during his career, Holmgren is one of only a handful of coaches who have guided multiple franchise to Super Bowls. Holmgren, who won a Super Bowl as the 49ers offensive coordinator in 1989, led the Packers to victory over Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells' Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. He led the Packers back to the Super Bowl the following year before guiding the Seahawks to the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance at the end of the 2005 season.
Sharpe, who played on Holmgren's first three Packers teams, was one of the NFL's most productive receivers during the late '80s and into the 1990s. A three-time All-Pro, Sharpe led the NFL in receptions three times and in touchdown catches on multiple occasions. In 1992, he achieved the "triple crown" by leading the NFL in receptions (108), receiving yards (1,461) and touchdown catches (13). Injuries forced Sharpe to retire at age 29 and after seven seasons, all with the Packers.
Baughan was a perennial Pro Bowl linebacker for the Eagles and Rams during the 1960s. He helped lead the Eagles to a NFL title during his rookie season. Tyrer was a nine-time Pro Bowl and six-time All-Pro tackle who spent 13 of his 14 seasons with the Chiefs. He played an integral role in the Chiefs winning two AFL titles in addition to Super Bowl IV, the final game played before the AFL-NFL merger.
A contributor finalist, Hay is a co-founder of the NFL as well as the owner of the two-time NFL champion Canton Bulldogs. He is credited with hosting the NFL's formational meeting in his car dealership in downtown Canton.
The Hall of Fame will reduce its list of modern-era player candidates from 25 to 15 on Dec. 28.
