Mike Holmgren, Sterling Sharpe headline HOF finalists from coach, seniors categories

A Super Bowl-winning head coach known for his offensive acumen and one of the most dynamic, physical receivers in NFL history headline the five finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the contributor, coach and seniors categories, as announced on Tuesday.

The five candidates are: Ralph Hay (contributor), Mike Holmgren (coach), and Maxie Baughan, Sterling Sharpe and Jim Tyrer (seniors).

Under new bylaws created by the Pro Football Hall of Fame board of directors approved earlier this year, for the first time the selection committee may vote for only three of the five candidates. The candidates must receive approval from at least 80% of the members of the committee at next year’s annual meeting in advance of the unveiling of the 2025 class during Super Bowl LIX week in New Orleans.

If none of the five individuals receives 80% approval, then the one who receives the most support would be elected to the Class of 2025.

The nominee from the coach category, Holmgren served as head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998 and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008. He took those franchises to the playoffs a total of six times, winning Super Bowl XXI with the Packers and ending that team’s 29-year title drought.

Holmgren reached Super Bowl XL with the Seahawks after defeating the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game during the 2005 season. He also won two Super Bowl rings with the San Francisco 49ers as an assistant. 

Mike Holmgren was the head coach of the Packers from 1992-98. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

The eight other semifinalists in the coach category were Bill Arnsparger, Tom Coughlin, Chuck Knox, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert, Mike Shanahan and Clark Shaughnessy. 

Headlining the seniors category finalists, Sharpe was a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro receiver whose seven-year career with Green Bay was cut short by a neck injury in 1994. Sharpe’s 18 touchdown receptions in his final season still rank third-best in league history. He finished his career with 595 receptions for 8,134 yards and 65 touchdowns.  

Sharpe is joined in the seniors category by linebacker Maxie Baughan and offensive lineman Jim Tyrer. An outside linebacker, Baughan played from 1960 to 1970, then came out of retirement in 1974 to play for longtime mentor George Allen in Washington. Baughan was selected to the Pro Bowl nine times and won an NFL championship with the Philadelphia Eagles, for whom he played from 1960 to 1965. He also played with the Los Angeles Rams from 1966 to 1970. 

Considered one of the dominant offensive tackles of his era, Tyrer was selected to the 1960s AFL All-Decade team and played in nine AFL all-star games during a 13-year career with the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs from 1961 to 1973, along with one season in Washington (1974). Tyrer won a ring as a member of the Super Bowl IV champion Chiefs and was part of three AFL championship teams with the Texans/Chiefs.

Other players who reached the semifinalist stage include Ken Anderson, Lester Hayes, Bob Kuechenberg, Albert Lewis, Stanley Morgan and Al Wistert. The last time players in this category could have appeared in a professional game was the 1999 season.

Sterling Sharpe had 595 receptions for 8,134 yards and 65 touchdowns in his career with the Packers. (Photo by James V. Biever/Getty Images)

Representing the contributor category, Hay was the owner of the Canton Bulldogs from 1918 to 1922 and is credited with organizing other owners of pro football teams and forming an association that two years later was renamed the National Football League. According to Hay’s supporters, among all major pro sports, only football has yet to enshrine the person or people credited with founding its dominant league. 

Other semifinalists in the contributor category include Bud Adams, Frank “Bucko” Kilroy, Robert Kraft, Art Modell, Art Rooney Jr., Seymour Siwoff, Doug Williams and John Wooten. 

Reduction voting is underway for Modern-Era Players — those whose careers ended after the 2000 season — with this category currently in the semifinalist stage.

For modern-era candidates, a reduction to the 25 semifinalists has already taken place. Those players include Eli Manning, Fred Taylor, Ricky Watters, Anquan Boldin, Torry Holt, Steve Smith Sr., Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne, Antonio Gates, Willie Anderson, Jahri Evans, Richmond Webb, Steve Wisniewski, Marshal Yanda, Eric Allen, Rodney Harrison, Earl Thomas, Darren Woodson, James Harrison, Luke Kuechly, Terrell Suggs, Jared Allen, Robert Mathis, Vince Wilfork and Adam Vinatieri. 

Selectors will reduce the number to 15 finalists, with those names scheduled to be announced on Dec. 28.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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