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02-03-2020, 03:16 AM
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Behind the Scenes - Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Process
Don't know if everyone saw this SI article or not. Considering that Edge was selected this year, Peyton will be selected next year and Reggie either next year or soon after that, thought it was a good read.
Here is the link to the article with a few excerpts below:
https://www.si.com/nfl/2020/02/01/in...ection-process
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The minutes seemed like hours as they anxiously passed time until being told to return to their rooms at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel in mid-afternoon to be available to either receive a phone call or knock on the door.
The call means they are out. Better luck next year. Players have been known to immediately start crying when they are given the bad news.
The knock on the door means they are in. And it comes accompanied by a huge hug from HOF president David Baker—at 6-9, 400 pounds, he only knows huge hugs.
“Welcome to Canton,” he says. “Thank you for all you have done for the game.”
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Along with the 10 seniors, three contributors and two coaches previously selected in Canton on Jan. 8 for the Centennial Class, the HOF is now up to 346 members. How exclusive is this club? In the 100-year history of the NFL, 29,000 men have played the game and there have been 800 players, coaches and officials who have been finalists.
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So, how does the process work?
The original list of modern era candidates is usually about 100. Players and coaches must have been retired five seasons to be eligible and then they are eligible for 20 years. If they have not been elected after 20 years, they become part of the senior pool. The first vote reduces the list to 25. The next vote takes it down to 15.
The final 15 make it into what’s called “The Room,” meaning their candidacy will be debated on Super Bowl Saturday. The HOF picks a media member from the city where the player spent the majority of his career to make a presentation, which sets the tone for the discussion. Then any of the other 47 selectors can request the microphone and speak up in support or against a candidate. Some conversations last 10 minutes. Some go 45-60 minutes.
The list of 15 is then sliced to 10 in the first reduction vote of the day. Additional comments are solicited but rarely offered. Then the list is voted down to five. In every other year, once a candidate makes the final five, he needs 80% approval to be selected. That means 10 no votes can knock him out. At this stage, the candidates are not competing against each other. The voting is considered a formality.
There was a change to the voting procedure this year. A Blue Ribbon panel convened in Canton on Jan. 8 to select 10 seniors, three contributors and two coaches to be part of the Centennial Class of 2020. Once the list was narrowed to those 15, there was not an 80% vote. Nor was there an 80% vote Saturday on the final five modern era candidates.
Why the shift in policy?
The HOF wanted 20 enshrinees: 20 for 2020. Instead of taking a chance that any of the 15 picked in Canton would be rejected, the 80% vote was eliminated. The same reasoning was applied Saturday to the five modern era finalists. Once they made it to the final five, they were in.
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Peter King of NBC Sports, and formerly of Sports Illustrated, is among the most talkative of the selectors. He speaks up at least once on each candidate, and often goes back for a second helping. But his perspective and insight are valuable.
Dan Pompei of The Athletic is among the smartest guys in the room. Thoughtful and informed. Not everybody is. One pro-Owens supporter actually said in the year he was voted in that he felt one of T.O.’s HOF credentials was his colorful style of play, which translated well on the Madden video game, which he attributed to hooking him and others of his generation on the NFL.
Well, that was a ridiculous argument. No names. I’m trying to be transparent, but don’t want to embarrass the voter by giving him up.
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