It’s beginning to sound more and more like the Pro football Hall of Fame Class of 2020 will be a large one. An extremely large one at that and such a one-year class size expansion could result in several former members of the Pittsburgh Steelers organization being included in it.
According to he Pro Football Hall of Fame hopes to expand its Centennial Class for 2020. He reports that the Hall’s CEO and President, David Baker, has indicated that the 2020 plan is to enshrine five modern-era candidates … per normal … but then to include 10 seniors, three contributors and two coaches. If that proposal to the board of directors passes, the 2020 class will total 20. That proposal and vote will take place on Aug. 2.
Baker confirmed all of this during a Monday morning interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
“It is extremely elite company, and it’s not the Hall of very, very good. It’s the Hall of Fame, and so it should be difficult to make it,” Baker said on Monday. “But there’s a lot of guys through the years (who deserve to be honored but have not). We have several guys who are on all-decade teams who aren’t in the Hall of Fame. And, so, this is an opportunity with the Centennial coming up. And what we’ve looked at potentially and has been approved, at least in concept, by our operating board, but we’re going to have to go through the full board, is that potentially we would have 20 Hall of Famers enshrined for the year 2020.
“Normally, (like) this year, we have eight. So, this would be quite a few guys (added). But it would be the five normal modern-era players elected from 15 finalists, and then 10 seniors, three contributors — like Gil (Brandt) — and two (coaches). But again, I want to stress that that’s got to be something that’s passed by our board at its meeting on Friday, Aug. 2.”
“What we’ve looked at potentially … and (that) has been approved, at least in concept by our operating board … is that potentially we would have 20 Hall of Famers enshrined for the year 2020.”
One would think that if the proposal passes that the 2020 Hall of Fame Class might ultimately include guard Alan Faneca, safety Troy Polamalu as two of the five modern era selections, scout Bill Nunn as one of the three contributors and possibly even safety Donnie Shell, defensive lineman L. C. Greenwood and linebacker Andy Russell as three of the 10 senior selections.
In case you’re curious, Faneca, Polamalu and Greenwood are all members of the NFL’s All-Decade Teams that were chosen by the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee.
