The Pro Football Hall of Fame has made another step toward finalizing its 2025 induction class. On Thursday, the Hall of Fame revealed its list of 60 senior candidates who will be considered for induction in Canton, Ohio, next summer.
The remaining candidates were part of the Hall of Fame's initial pool of 183 former players who have been retired for at least 25 years. From here, a nine-person committee will select three seniors as finalists for induction with the rest of this year's class.
Included in the 60 senior candidates are five former quarterbacks, including Jim Plunkett, who made history in 1980 by becoming the first minority quarterback to win the Super Bowl. Plunkett won two Super Bowls with the Raiders and was MVP of Super Bowl XV.
The list of candidates also includes several defensive stalwarts on legendary defenses during the 1970s. That list of players includes former Steelers defensive end L.C. Greenwood and Cowboys defensive linemen Harvey Martin and Ed "Too Tall" Jones. Greenwood holds the single-game Super Bowl record for sacks, while Martin shared MVP honors with teammate Randy White after the Cowboys won Super Bowl XII. Jones, who recorded 106 sacks during his career, batted down so many passes that the NFL decided to make it an official statistic.
Courtesy of the Hall of Fame, here's a position-by-position look at each senior who made the cut.
QUARTERBACKS (5): Ken Anderson, Charlie Conerly, Roman Gabriel, Jack Kemp, Jim Plunkett.
RUNNING BACKS (7): Alan Ameche, Ottis Anderson, Larry Brown, Roger Craig, Chuck Foreman, Cecil Isbell, Paul "Tank" Younger.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS (10): Mark Clayton, Isaac Curtis, Boyd Dowler, Henry Ellard, Harold Jackson, Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, Stanley Morgan, Art Powell, Sterling Sharpe, Otis Taylor.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (12): Ed Budde, Ox Emerson, Bill Fralic, Chris Hinton, Joe Jacoby, Mike Kenn, Bob Kuechenberg, George Kunz, Ralph Neely, Dick Schafrath, Jim Tyrer, Al Wistert.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (6): L.C. Greenwood, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Jim Marshall, Harvey Martin, Leslie O'Neal, Bill Stanfill.
LINEBACKERS (11): Carl Banks, Maxie Baughan, Bill Bergey, Joe Fortunato, Larry Grantham, Lee Roy Jordan, Clay Matthews Jr., Tommy Nobis, Andy Russell, Pat Swilling, Phil Villapiano.
DEFENSIVE BACKS (8): Dick Anderson, Deron Cherry, Pat Fischer, Lester Hayes, Albert Lewis, Eddie Meador, Lemar Parrish, Everson Walls.
SPECIAL TEAMS (1): Steve Tasker.
