It’s the 10th time Greene has reached the semifinals, the eighth time for Coryell, and the fifth time for Atwater.
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For the second straight year former Tennessee Titans center Kevin Mawae is among 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Brett Favre is the name the tops the list as a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer, joining Owens as a candidate eligible for the first time.
The makeup of the 2016 semifinalists is as followed: 22 players (15 offense, 6 defense and 1 special teams) and three coaches.
He was an eight-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro.
Warner, Pace and Greene came up just short of enshrinement past year, making the cut to 15 finalists but not into the class of five modern-era inductees. He played 13 years in the league, his final one being in 2010 with the Cardinals. And among the list of hopefuls were four players with ties to the Denver Broncos. Law spent a decade with the Patriots from 1995-2004, winning three Super Bowls, playing in four, and earning two All Pro distinctions and four Pro Bowl nods.
Also among the semifinalists, announced Tuesday evening, are former St. Louis Cardinals head coach Don Coryell, linebacker/defensive end Kevin Greene, and safety Steve Atwater.
NORMAN VS. BRYANT: Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer looks at one of the most exciting player-on-player matchups for Thursday’s game. The class of 2016 will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 6. That list increases to 18 finalists with the inclusion of the recommended nominees of the Hall of Fame’s Contributors and Seniors Committees.
Eddie DeBartolo Jr., former owner of the San Francisco 49ers, previously was announced as the contributor finalist along with two senior finalists, quarterback Ken Stabler and guard Dick Stanfel.
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Although there is no set number of enshrinees for any Hall of Fame Class, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s current bylaws stipulate that between four and eight new members will be selected each year.
