Released the names of the members of the year’s class of inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame has become a slow process. Some two hours after this first inductee was announced, they finally got through the full list.
Among those to break through were Raiders head coach Tom Flores and defensive back Charles Woodson.
Flores gets through via the senior committee while Woodson gets in on his first ballot.
Neither of them was a surprise as Woodson was a no-brainer selection and Flores was the lone coaching finalist by the senior committee.
The mystery was whether Richard Seymour would get his name called. The seven-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro and three-time Super Bowl winner was among the 15 modern-era finalists for induction, but when all was said and done, he didn’t get that knock on his door. Seymour played his first eight seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots and was traded to the Raiders where he spent the final four seasons of his career.
The full class is as follows:
G Alan Faneca 1998-2007 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2008-09 New York Jets, 2010 Arizona Cardinals
HC Tom Flores 1979-1987 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-94 Seattle Seahawks
WR Calvin Johnson 2007-2015 Detroit Lions
S John Lynch 1993-2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004-07 Denver Broncos
QB Peyton Manning 1998-2011 Indianapolis Colts, 2012-15 Denver Broncos
Scout Bill Nunn 1968-2014 Pittsburgh Steelers
WR Drew Pearson 1973-83 Dallas Cowboys
CB/S Charles Woodson 1998-2005, 2013-15 Oakland Raiders, 2006-2012 Green Bay Packers
[lawrence-newsletter]