Nominees For 2017 Pro Football Hall Of Fame Announced: Donovan Mcnabb, Hines Ward Included

The list of Modern-Era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017 consists of 94 players and coaches. Among the nominees announced are several first-year eligible players, including Donovan McNabb, Hines Ward, LaDainian Tomlinson and Jason Taylor. 

Nominees For 2017 Pro Football Hall Of Fame Announced: Donovan Mcnabb, Hines Ward Included

The list of nominees is comprised of 45 offensive players, 32 defensive players, six special teams players and 11 coaches. The list will be narrowed down to 25 semifinalists in November and after that, to 15 finalists in January.

The finalists will be presented to the full 48-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee during its annual selection meeting on the day before Super Bowl LI next year, in February. Also to be presented are the recently named Senior Finalist, Kenny Easley, and the 2017 Contributor Finalists, Jerry Jones and Paul Tagliabue.

The selection committee will meet on February 4, 2017 in Houston, Texas to elect the Class of 2017. Although there is no set number for any class of inductees, the selection process by-laws provide that between four and eight new members will be chosen.

Easley, Jones and Tagliabue will be voted “yes” or “no” for election at the annual selection meeting, and must receive at least 80 percent support from the Committee in order to be elected.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2017 will be formally recognized on Saturday, August 5, 2017. The presentation is one of three marquee events to be held in the fantastic new Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium during the Enshrinement Week along with the Concert for Legends and the NFL/Hall of Fame Game. The celebration will begin with the nationally televised Gold Jacket Dinner on Thursday night of Hall of Fame Week.

The annual Enshrinement Ceremony is televised nationally by the Hall of Fame’s broadcast partners, NFL Network and ESPN.

Here is the full list of nominees:

*Finalist in 2016 (Players and coaches must have last played or coached at least five full seasons ago to be eligible for nomination. Therefore, any individual who last played or coached in 2011 is eligible for the first time in 2017).

QUARTERBACKS (7): Drew Bledsoe, Randall Cunningham, Doug Flutie, Donovan McNabb, Steve McNair, Phil Simms, *Kurt Warner

RUNNING BACKS (13): Shaun Alexander, Ottis Anderson, Tiki Barber, Larry Centers, Roger Craig, *Terrell Davis, Eddie George, *Edgerrin James, Daryl Johnston, Eric Metcalf (also WR/PR/KR), LaDainian Tomlinson, Herschel Walker (also KR), Ricky Watters

WIDE RECEIVERS (10): Isaac Bruce, Henry Ellard (also PR), Torry Holt, Chad Johnson, Derrick Mason (also KR/PR), *Terrell Owens, Sterling Sharpe, Jimmy Smith, Rod Smith, Hines Ward

TIGHT END (1): Mark Bavaro

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (14): Tony Boselli (T), Ray Donaldson (C), *Alan Faneca (G), Jay Hilgenberg (C), Chris Hinton (G/T), Kent Hull (C), *Joe Jacoby (T), Mike Kenn (T), Olin Kreutz (C), Jim Lachey (T), Kevin Mawae (C/G), Tom Nalen (C), Nate Newton (G), Steve Wisniewski (G)

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (5): Leslie O’Neal (DE), Simeon Rice (DE), Fred Smerlas (NT), Jason Taylor (DE), Bryant Young (DT)

LINEBACKERS (11): Carl Banks, Cornelius Bennett, Tedy Bruschi, Seth Joyner, Levon Kirkland, Clay Matthews, Willie McGinest (also DE), Karl Mecklenburg, Sam Mills, Joey Porter, Zach Thomas

DEFENSIVE BACKS (16): Eric Allen (CB), *Steve Atwater (S), Joey Browner (S), LeRoy Butler (S), Brian Dawkins (SS), Rodney Harrison (S), Ty Law (CB), Albert Lewis (CB), *John Lynch (S), Frank Minnifield (CB), Bob Sanders (SS), Darren Sharper (FS), Dennis Smith (SS), Troy Vincent (S), Everson Walls (CB), Darren Woodson (S)

KICKERS/PUNTER (4): *Morten Andersen (K), Gary Anderson (K), Sean Landeta (P), Nick Lowery (K)

SPECIAL TEAMS (2): Brian Mitchell (KR/PR, also RB), Steve Tasker (ST, also WR)

COACHES (11): *Don Coryell, Bill Cowher, Tom Flores, Mike Holmgren, Jimmy Johnson, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Richie Petitbon, Dan Reeves, Clark Shaughnessy, Dick Vermeil

CHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 16: Quaretrback Donovan McNabb # 5 of the Minnesota Vikings passes during the game against the Chicago Bears on October 16, 2011 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)