Versatile running back Roger Craig, former MVP Ken Anderson and prolific receiver Sterling Sharpe are among the players who advanced to the next stage in the seniors category for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
The Hall released a list of 31 players on Tuesday cut down from 60 nominees made last month by a newly created Seniors Screening Committee.
A nine-person Senior Blue Ribbon Committee will be reducing the list to nine in a few weeks and then nominate three finalists to be considered by the full selection committee in early 2025. The three seniors will be grouped with one coach and one contributor with at least one and no more than three of those finalists getting in based on voting.
Craig, Anderson and Sharpe are among the 10 players on this year’s list of nominees who made it to the seminal stage of 12 candidates last year when Steve McMichael and Randy Gradishar were voted in as seniors.
The other returning semifinalists are Maxie Baughan, Joe Jacoby, Albert Lewis, Eddie Meador, Art Powell, Otis Taylor and Al Wistert. Powell made it to the final cut but didn’t get the 80% threshold needed for induction.
Players eligible for the seniors category must have finished their playing career by the end of the 1999 season.
Craig was a key part of San Francisco’s dynasty in the 1980s with his ability as a physical runner and as a receiver out of the backfield. Craig was the first player ever to have 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season in 1985, and led the NFL with 2,036 yards from scrimmage in 1988 when he helped the 49ers win the Super Bowl.
Craig was also part of the title-winning teams in San Francisco in the 1984 and 1989 seasons. His 410 yards from scrimmage in those Super Bowl wins are the third-most ever behind only Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Franco Harris.
Anderson was a four-time Pro Bowler for Cincinnati and won the MVP in 1981 when he helped the Bengals reach their first Super Bowl before losing to San Francisco. When Anderson retired after the 1986 season he ranked sixth all time with 32,838 yards passing and 13th with 197 TD passes.
Sharpe had a short but productive career for the Green Bay Packers from 1988-94. His best season coming in 1992 when he became the sixth player to win the receiving triple crown, setting set an NFL record with 108 catches for 1,461 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He broke his own record with 112 catches in 1993 and led the NFL with 18 touchdown receptions his final season in 1994 before a neck injury cut his career short.
Sharpe was a three-time All-Pro and had 595 catches for 8,134 yards and 65 TDs. He trailed only Rice over his seven-year career in receptions and TD catches.
Powell was one of the most prolific receivers in the pass-happy AFL. His 81 touchdowns rank second best in AFL history behind Don Maynard, and his 8,015 yards receiving were third behind only Maynard and Hall of Famer Lance Alworth.
The other players who made the cut are Ottis Anderson, Carl Banks, Charlie Conerly, Ox Emerson, Chuck Foreman, Larry Grantham, Lester Hayes, Cecil Isbell, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, Mike Kenn, Bob Kuechenberg, George Kunz, Jim Marshall, Harvey Martin, Clay Matthews Jr., Stanley Morgan, Tommy Nobis, Jim Plunkett, Jim Tyrer, Everson Walls and Paul “Tank” Younger.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Josh Dubow, The Associated Press
