The Pro Football Hall of Fame has released the preliminary list of nominees for induction in 2007, and 111 names are included in the initial offering, which will be pared down to 25 late in November.
The 25 semifinalists will be reduced by a mail ballot to 15 finalists. The final list for Hall of Fame consideration will consist of those 15 modern-era nominees along with two senior nominees. The two senior finalists this year are Gene Hickerson, a guard with the Cleveland Browns from 1958-1960 and again from 1962-1973, and Charlie Sanders, a tight end with the Detroit Lions from 1968-1977. The senior finalists were selected this past August by the Hall of Fame’s Senior Selection Committee.
Nominees in First Year of Eligibility
QB Randall Cunningham
RB Terrell Davis
RB Ricky Watters
OL Bruce Matthews (G/C/T)
OG Randall McDaniel
OL Mark Stepnoski (C/G)
OG Steve Wisniewski
DB Eric Allen
DB LeRoy Butler
DB Carnell Lake
Additional Nominees for the Class of 2007
QB Ken Anderson
QB Bernie Kosar
QB Jim Plunkett
QB Phil Simms
QB Brian Sipe
QB Ken Stabler
QB Joe Theismann
RB Roger Craig
RB Greg Pruitt
RB *Thurman Thomas
RB Herschel Walker
WR Cliff Branch
WR Harold Carmichael
WR Gary Clark
WR Mark Clayton
WR Isaac Curtis
WR Mark Duper
WR Henry Ellard
WR *Michael Irvin
WR *Art Monk
WR Drew Pearson
WR Andre Reed
TE Mark Bavaro
TE Todd Christensen
TE Ben Coates
TE Brent Jones
TE Steve Jordan
OL Jim Covert (T)
OL Dermontti Dawson (C)
OL *Russ Grimm (G)
OL Jay Hilgenberg (C)
OL Chris Hinton (G/T)
OL Kent Hull (C)
OL Joe Jacoby (T)
OL Mike Kenn (T)
OL *Bob Kuechenberg (G)
OL Jeff Van Note (C)
OL *Gary Zimmerman (T)
DL Fred Dean (DE)
DL Richard Dent (DE)
DL Chris Doleman (DE/LB)
DL Charles Haley (DE/LB)
DL Ed “Too Tall” Jones (DE)
DL Joe Klecko (DE/DT/NT)
DL Dexter Manley (DE)
DL Charles Mann (DE)
DL Fred Smerlas (NT)
LB Cornelius Bennett
LB Robert Brazile
LB Randy Gradishar
LB Kevin Greene
LB Ken Harvey
LB Rickey Jackson
LB Clay Matthews
LB Karl Mecklenburg
LB Sam Mills
LB John Offerdahl
LB Darryl Talley
LB *Derrick Thomas
LB Andre Tippett
DB Steve Atwater (S)
DB Joey Browner (S)
DB Raymond Clayborn (CB)
DB Kenny Easley (S)
DB David Fulcher (SS)
DB Lester Hayes (CB)
DB Albert Lewis (CB)
DB Lemar Parrish (CB)
DB Ken Riley (CB)
DB Donnie Shell (S)
DB Roger Wehrli (CB)
DB Louis Wright (CB)
P Ray Guy
P Reggie Roby
K Nick Lowery
SPECIAL TEAMS/WR – Steve Tasker
COACHES
Don Coryell
Tom Flores
Jimmy Johnson
Chuck Knox
Buddy Parker
Dan Reeves
Clark Shaughnessy
Dick Vermeil
CONTRIBUTORS
Bud Adams, Jr.
Gil Brandt
C. O. Brocato
Joe Browne
Ed DeBartolo, Jr.
Jerry Jones
Bucko Kilroy
Art Modell
Bill Nunn
Lee Remmel
Ed Sabol
Steve Sabol
Rex Stuart
Paul Tagliabue
Ralph Wilson Jr.
Ron Wolf
George Young
*On 2006 15 finalists list
