Doug Williams, who was MVP of Super Bowl 22, is among five contributor candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Williams, the first Black quarterback to start in a Super Bowl, is joined by Patriots owner Robert Kraft, late Bears owner Virginia McCaskey, longtime NFL player, scout and personnel executive John Wooten and former Canton Bulldogs owner Ralph Hay.
The list was announced Wednesday by the Canton, Ohio-based Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Members of the Hall’s contributor subcommittee made their selections from an original field of 42 nominees. The subcommittee will select one candidate to be considered when the Hall’s selection committee determines a new class of enshrinees in early 2027.
The final list of candidates will include one contributor, one coach and 13 players. The group will be reduced to 10 and then seven candidates, with all 15 in the same category.
A 25-person selection committee will be able to vote for six people, with 80% of support needed. The Hall said that would lead to a range of three to seven Hall of Famers each year, with by far the most likely number to get the necessary support being either five or six people.
Williams was the 17th overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1978 NFL draft. He joined the Washington Redskins in 1986 as a backup and stepped in when starter Jay Schroeder was injured the following season for an impressive playoff run. Williams threw four touchdown passes in a 42-10 victory over Denver in the Super Bowl.
He has spent the past 13 seasons working in Washington’s front office after stints with the Jaguars and Buccaneers.
Kraft has owned the Patriots since 1994. His teams have won six Super Bowls and played in five others.
McCaskey was the Bears' principal owner from 1983 until her death in 2025 at age 102. She’s the daughter of team founder George Halas. The Bears won Super Bowl 20 during her tenure and played in another one.
Wooten was a two-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman during nine seasons with Cleveland and Washington and won an NFL title with the Browns. He worked in scouting and player personnel roles with the Cowboys, Eagles and Ravens for nearly three decades. Since 2003, Wooten has been chair of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, a group working to advance opportunities for minorities in coaching and front-office positions across pro football.
Hay owned the Canton Bulldogs from 1918-1922. He hosted the NFL’s formational meeting in his automobile dealership in downtown Canton.
The Hall changed the definition of the contributor category this year to allow consideration of a player and coaching career, along with contributions from off the field.
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