A strong first-year eligible class of players including Junior Seau and four members of the Greatest Show on Turf are among the 26 players announced as semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame tonight.
In addition to Seau, the first-year eligible players include Rams teammates Kurt Warner, Orlando Pace, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt.
Also on the list are the five players who were in the final 10 of last year’s voting but not among the five elected: Linebacker Kevin Greene, defensive end Charles Haley, running back Jerome Bettis, guard Will Shields and wide receiver Marvin Harrison.
The other 16 names to make the cut to 26 include running backs Roger Craig, Terrell Davis and Edgerrin James, wide receiver Tim Brown, offensive linemen Joe Jacoby, Mike Kenn and Kevin Mawae, linebacker Karl Mecklenburg, cornerback Ty Law, safeties Steve Awtwater, John Lynch and Darren Woodson, kicker Morten Andersen and coaches Don Coryell, Tony Dungy and Jimmy Johnson.
From that group of 26 names, the group will be whittled down again to 15 finalists, who will then be up for debate and election the day before the Super Bowl.
A maximum of five players from that group of 15 can be chosen.
The committee will also vote separately on seniors nominee Mick Tingelhoff, and two contributors, former General Managers Bill Polian and Ron Wolf.
Those three need 80 percent of a yes-no vote, and do not impact the five modern-era slots, meaning the maximum class this year would be eight.