3 former Falcons advance for Pro Football Hall of Fame in seniors category
Three former Falcons advanced through a second reduction vote of candidates in the seniors category, as 34 former players remain under consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026.
Mike Kenn (1978-94 with the Falcons), Clay Matthews Jr. (1994-95) and Tommy Nobis (1966-76) were on the list, which was released Thursday.
Chris Hinton (1990-93) and Billy “White Shoes” Johnson (1982-87) did not advance.
Former Georgia Tech standout Maxie Baughan also advanced.
Members of the Hall of Fame’s seniors blue-ribbon committee produced the list from the 52 names they received after a screening committee cast the initial ballots in the highly competitive selection process. The 162 former players nominated for election and screened in the opening round of voting last could have appeared in a professional football game in the 2000 season.
In this step of the process, each seniors committee member voted for 25 players. The top 25 and all other candidates who tied for the 25th position advanced to the third phase — the cutdown vote to nine semifinalists. Those ballots will be cast and results announced in about four weeks.
The seniors blue-ribbon committee voters then will meet to discuss the playing careers of the nine semifinalists. From that group, three will advance to the full selection committee as finalists for possible election to the Class of 2026.
Reduction voting in three other categories for the Hall of Fame — modern-era players, coach and contributor — are also being conducted this month. Progress in the coach category (cut to 12) and the modern-era player category (cut to 52) were announced earlier this week. The candidates still under consideration in the contributor category will be revealed Friday.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026, which can be composed of a minimum of four individuals to as many as eight, will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio, in August.
Here’s the list of players — 19 offensive, 14 defensive and one special-teams player — who remain in contention for the Class of 2026:
QUARTERBACKS (3): Ken Anderson, Charlie Conerly, Roman Gabriel.
RUNNING BACKS (4): Roger Craig, Chuck Foreman, Cecil Isbell, Paul “Tank” Younger.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS (7): Isaac Curtis, Lavvie Dilweg, Henry Ellard, Harold Jackson, Stanley Morgan, Art Powell, Otis Taylor.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (5): Joe Jacoby, Mike Kenn, Bob Kuechenberg, Jim Tyrer, Al Wistert.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (2): L.C. Greenwood, Jim Marshall.
LINEBACKERS (6): Carl Banks, Maxie Baughan, Larry Grantham, Lee Roy Jordan, Clay Matthews Jr., Tommy Nobis.
DEFENSIVE BACKS (6): Dick Anderson, Bobby Boyd, Albert Lewis, Eddie Meador, Lemar Parrish, Everson Walls.
SPECIAL TEAMS (1): Steve Tasker.
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
