Charean Williams ,
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Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft are finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
The Hall announced Wednesday that Kraft is the contributor nominee and Belichick the coach nominee in the next class of inductees. Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood are the seniors finalists.
The remaining bar to clear: Approval from at least 80 percent of the members of the full selection committee at their annual meeting next year in advance of the class unveiling during Super Bowl LX week in San Francisco.
For the second year, the finalists from these categories within the selection process are competing directly against each other under bylaws the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors approved in 2024. The revision to the process helps ensure the exclusivity of inclusion in the game’s most elite fraternity.
Each member of the selection committee votes for only three of these five finalists. With the bylaws revision, a maximum of three of this year’s Finalists can be elected. If none of the five individuals receives 80 percent approval, then the individual who receives the most support would be elected to the Class of 2026.
Kraft, the owner and CEO of the Patriots since 1994, has seen his team win six Super Bowls and play in four others. All with Belichick as his head coach.
Kraft has also served on 17 owners committees, including the broadcast/media committee since 1997, which he has chaired for the past 18 years.
The other eight semifinalists in the contributor category this year were K.S. “Bud” Adams, Roone Arledge, Ralph Hay, Frank Bucko” Kilroy, Art Rooney Jr., Clark Shaughnessy, Seymour Siwoff and Buddy Young.
Belichick, the current coach at the University of North Carolina, has an overall record of 333-178 in the NFL — second only to Hall of Famer Don Shula’s 347 career NFL victories — and won 31 of 44 games (.705) in the playoffs. Among his numerous accolades, Belichick is a member of the NFL 100 All-Time Team.
The eight other Semifinalists in the Coach category this year were Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert and Mike Shanahan.
Anderson played his entire career for the Bengals, 192 games overall through the 1986 season. He finished his career with four Pro Bowl nods, a league MVP award for the 1981 season and 32,838 passing yards with 197 passing touchdowns.
Craig won three Super Bowls with the 49ers, where he spent eight seasons before a year with the Raiders and two with the Vikings. For his career, he totaled 13,100 yards from scrimmage and scored 73 touchdowns. He was named the league’s offensive player of the year in 1988, when he also finished third in MVP voting.
Greenwood, a member of the famous “Steel Curtain” defensive units in the 1970s, played his entire 170-game career over 13 seasons with the Steelers. An undrafted free agent out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Greenwood won four Super Bowl rings, was named a first-team All-Pro defensive end twice and was selected to play in six Pro Bowls.
Also advancing to the semifinalist stage in the Seniors category were Henry Ellard, Joe Jacoby, Eddie Meador, Stanley Morgan, Steve Tasker and Otis Taylor.
Players in the seniors category last could have appeared in a professional game in the 2000 season.
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