Arizona
Kent Somers, Arizona Republic

Atlanta
Len Pasquarelli, ESPN.com

Baltimore
Scott Garceau, WMAR-TV

Buffalo
Mark Gaughan, Buffalo News

Carolina
Charles Chandler, Charlotte Observer

Chicago
Dan Pompei, Chicago Tribune*

Cincinnati
John Reedy, Cincinnati Enquirer

Cleveland
Tony Grossi, Cleveland Plain Dealer

Dallas
Rick Gosselin, Dallas Morning News*

Denver
Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News

Detroit
Tom Kowalski, Booth Newspapers

Green Bay
Cliff Christl, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Houston
John McClain, Houston Chronicle*

Indianapolis
Mike Chappell, Indianapolis Star

Jacksonville
Sam Kouvaris, WJXT-TV

Kansas City
Bob Gretz, KCFX Overland Park, KS

Miami
Edwin Pope, Miami Herald*

Minnesota
Sid Hartman, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune

New England
Ron Borges, Boston Herald*

New Orleans
Pete Finney, Times-Picayune

New York (Giants)
Vinny DiTrani, Bergen Record

New York (Jets)
Gary Meyers, New York Daily News

Oakland
Frank Cooney, The Sports Xchange

Philadelphia
Paul Domowitch, Philadelphia Daily News

Pittsburgh
Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

St. Louis
Bernie Miklasz, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

San Diego
Nick Canepa, San Diego Union Tribune

San Francisco
Nancy Gay, AOL Sports/Fanhouse

Seattle
Clare Farnsworth, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Tampa Bay
Ira Kaufman, Tampa Tribune

Tennessee
David Climer, The Tennessean

Washington
David Elfin, Washington Times

PFWA
Alex Marvez, FOXSports.com

At Large
Howard Balzer, The Sports Xchange

At Large
Jarrett Bell, USA Today

At Large
John Clayton, ESPN/ESPN Magazine

At Large
John Czarnecki, FOXSports.com*

At Large
Dave Goldberg, Associated Press*

At Large
Peter King, Sports Illustrated

At Large
Ira Miller, The Sports Xchange*

At Large
Len Shapiro, Miami Herald*

At Large
Vito Stellino, Florida Times Union

At Large
Jim Trotter, Sports Illustrated

At Large
Charean Williams, Ft. Worth Star Telegram

WHO SELECTS NEW HALL OF FAME MEMBERS?

Charged with the vital task of continuing to be certain that new enshrinees are the finest the game has produced is the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 44-person Selection Committee.

The Selection Committee consists of one media representative from each geographical area with a current NFL franchise. If a geographical area has more than one franchise (such as New York City) there shall be a selector for each franchise. A 33rd member is a representative of the Pro Football Writers of America and there are 11 at-large delegates.

The Selection Committee meets annually at the time of the Super Bowl to elect new members to the Hall of Fame. There is no set number of new enshrinees, but the Committee’s current ground rules do stipulate that between four and seven new members will be selected each year. Every candidate is carefully scrutinized and must receive at least 80 percent approval of the Committee at the annual meeting before he can be elected.

HOW ARE NEW ENSHRINEES SELECTED?

Any fan may nominate any player, coach or contributor who has been connected with pro football simply by writing to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The only restriction is that a player and coach must have been retired at least five years before he can be considered. There is no mandatory retirement period for a contributor before he may be considered. Every nomination of an eligible candidate received will be processed and forwarded to the Hall of Fame’s Board of Selectors.

Each year, the Selection Committee will be polled three times before the Final List of Preliminary Nominees is determined. The Initial Preliminary List of nominations is compiled and sent to the Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee by March 1. The list is provided so that the selectors can study the nominees and then request the addition of any other candidates that may have been overlooked. Included on this list are first-time eligible candidates who have strong enough credentials to give them even a remote chance of eventual Hall of Fame election. Also included are all other eligible candidates nominated by any person. Additionally, those modern-era nominees from the previous year’s final preliminary list who received at least four votes in the balloting to determine the modern-era finalists are automatically included on this preliminary list.

The Second Preliminary List is sent to the selectors during the month of September that includes all the nominees named on the earlier list plus any additional nominations received from any source since the first list was compiled.

The Third Preliminary List of eligible candidates is sent to the Board of Selectors during the month of October for the purpose of the selection of the Modern Era semi-finalists for election. From the Third Preliminary List the Selection Committee is asked to vote for 25 Modern Era Semifinalists.

The Final Preliminary List of 25 modern-era candidates will be distributed to the Selection Committee during the month of November for the purpose of the selection of 15 Modern Era Nominees. The 16th and 17th finalists are the recommended candidates of the Seniors Committee.

In advance of the Hall of Fame Selection Meeting in February, the selectors are provided detailed biographies on each of the 17 finalist candidates. At the annual meeting, each of the nominees is thoroughly discussed by the committee before a series of reduction votes are taken. First, the two senior candidates are discussed and voted on for election. They must receive the same 80 percent affirmative vote as the modern-era candidates. Next, the there is a vote that reduces the modern-era finalists list from 15 to 10. Following that, a vote is taken to reduce the list from 10 to 5 names. The five remaining candidates for Hall of Fame election are then voted on individually (yes or no) for membership.

In order to be elected a finalist must receive a minimum of 80% of the vote. All ballots are collected and counted by the firm Deloitte & Touche. No vote totals are announced – only the winners of the various reduction ballots are revealed to the selectors and the Hall’s representatives. First notification of the makeup of the newest class of enshrinees is made when the Deloitte & Touche representative presents a sealed envelope to Hall of Fame President/Executive Director Steve Perry at the press conference held immediately after the selection meeting.

HOW IS A SENIOR CANDIDATE CHOSEN?

To assure that older players will be considered along with the Modern Era players, a Seniors Committee, made up of nine veteran members of the overall Selection Committee, has been established to consider nominees whose active career has been completed by at least 25 years.

Like the full Committee, the members of the Seniors Committee are provided a preliminary list of eligible nominees. The list, which is compiled and mailed to the selectors by June 1, includes carry-over nominations from the previous year, first-time eligible candidates, and nominations from any outside source. By way of a mail ballot the Committee members reduce the list to 15 Senior Nominee finalists. Five members of the nine-man Committee, selected on a rotating basis, are designated to attend the annual Seniors Committee meeting held in Canton, where they are charged with the responsibility of nominating two candidates from that list to be among the 17 finalists for Hall of Fame election. In advance of the meeting, each selector is provided with detailed biographical information on the candidates.

Senior Committee members are assisted during their annual meeting by two Hall of Fame consultants, chosen by the Hall’s president, who were contemporaries of the majority of the nominees. The consultants offer only their opinions and are not entitled to vote. After each candidate is discussed thoroughly, the consultants are excused from the meeting. Additional discussion is conducted followed by a series of reduction votes that results in the naming of two Senior Nominees.

Although the Senior Nominees will be presented to the full Selection Committee as two of the 17 finalists, their election to the Hall of Fame is not automatic. The Senior Nominees must receive the same minimum 80% of the vote as a Modern Era candidate to be elected.

IS A NEW HALL OF FAME MEMBER ENSHRINED AS A MEMBER OF A TEAM?

Obviously, teams take great pride in the accomplishments of individuals who have been a part of their organization. Often individual teams and even the Hall of Fame will list enshrinees according to the team or teams on which they spent a significant period of time. An enshrinee, however, is not asked to “declare,” nor does the Hall of Fame “choose” a team under which a new member is enshrined. When elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, an individual is recognized for his accomplishments as a player, coach, or contributor.