Polamalu, Wayne among 1st-time modern-era HOF nominees
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 122 modern-era candidates for the 2020 class on Thursday.
To commemorate the NFL's 100th season, the "Centennial Class" will include 20 members - five from the modern era, 10 seniors (players who've been retired for 25-plus years), three contributors, and two coaches.
Of the 122 modern-era players, there are eight first-time candidates: safety Troy Polamalu, receiver Reggie Wayne, linebacker Patrick Willis, defensive end Justin Smith, pass-rusher John Abraham, linebacker Lance Briggs, returner/receiver Josh Cribbs, and running back Maurice Jones-Drew.
The list will be cut down to 25 players in November and then to 15 finalists in early January. At that point, the Hall of Fame's 48-person selection committee will decide on the final group one day before Super Bowl LIV.
Here is the full list of nominees:
Quarterbacks -- Randall Cunningham, Jake Delhomme, Boomer Esiason, Jeff Garcia, Jeff Hostetler, Dave Krieg, Donovan McNabb
Running backs - Shaun Alexander, Mike Alstott, Tiki Barber, Earnest Byner, Larry Centers, Corey Dillon, Eddie George, Priest Holmes, Edgerrin James, Daryl Johnston, Thomas Jones, Maurice Jones-Drew, Eric Metcalf, Lorenzo Neal, Clinton Portis, Fred Taylor, Herschel Walker, Chris Warren, Ricky Watters
Wide receivers - Isaac Bruce, Gary Clark, Donald Driver, Henry Ellard, Torry Holt, Chad Johnson, Derrick Mason, Muhsin Muhammad, Jimmy Smith, Rod Smith, Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne
Tight ends - Dallas Clark, Ben Coates, Keith Jackson, Brent Jones, Jeremy Shockey, Wesley Walls
Offensive linemen - Willie Anderson, Matt Birk, Tony Boselli, Lomas Brown, Ray Donaldson, Alan Faneca, Kevin Gogan, Jordan Gross, Chris Hinton, Kent Hull, Steve Hutchinson, Lincoln Kennedy, Olin Kreutz, Chris Samuels, Jeff Saturday, Brian Waters, Richmond Webb, Erik Williams, Steve Wisniewski
Defensive linemen - John Abraham, La'Roi Glover, Casey Hampton, Chester McGlockton, Leslie O'Neal, Simeon Rice, Richard Seymour, Justin Smith, Neil Smith, Greg Townsend, Bryant Young
Linebackers - Carl Banks, Cornelius Bennett, Lance Briggs, Tedy Bruschi, James Farrior, London Fletcher, Seth Joyner, Wilber Marshall, Clay Matthews, Willie McGinest, Sam Mills, Chris Spielman, Takeo Spikes, Darryl Talley, Zach Thomas, Jessie Tuggle, Patrick Willis
Defensive backs - Eric Allen, Steve Atwater, Ronde Barber, LeRoy Butler, Nick Collins, Merton Hanks, Rodney Harrison, Albert Lewis, John Lynch, Terry McDaniel, Tim McDonald, Troy Polamalu, Bob Sanders, Troy Vincent, Darren Woodson
Punters/kickers - K David Akers, K Gary Anderson, K Jason Elam, P Jeff Feagles, K Jason Hanson, P Sean Landeta, K Ryan Longwell, K Nick Lowery, P Reggie Roby, P Rohn Stark, P Matt Turk
Special teams - Johnny Bailey, Josh Cribbs, Mel Gray, Brian Mitchell, Steve Tasker