One of the top shutdown corners in NFL history and perhaps the greatest comeback ever to play the game was among the 15 finalists selected for the 2023 Professional Football Hall of Fame, it was announced on Wednesday.
Full-back Darrelle Revis and cat-like return man Devin Hester topped the list that included three other defensive defenders in safe positions Darren Woodson and full-backs Ronde Barber and Albert Lewis.
Other defensive players on the yellow jacket finalists list were wingers DeMarcus Ware, Dwight Freeney and Jared Allen, along with full-backs Patrick Willis and Zach Thomas.
Recipients Terry Holt, Reggie Wayne and Andre Johnson made the cuts. Joining them are assault guides Willie Anderson and Joe Thomas.
Freeney, Revis and Thomas are finalists in their first year of qualifying, while Johnson, Allen, Hester and Ware are in their second year.
Revis has been selected to the All-Pro first team four times and six times selected to the Pro Bowl during his 11 seasons in the NFL, including eight with New York Jets. He also won a Super Bowl with New England Patriots in the 2014 season.
Hester played 11 seasons in the NFL, including 8 with Chicago bear. He holds the NFL record for most returns to special teams with 20 (14 free throws, five tees, one miss).
Selected in the second round of the 2006 draft out of miamiHester has been voted into three Pro Bowls, won 13 special team player awards, and was named to the NFL’s Team of the Decade of the 2000s.
A player must participate as an active NFL player for five consecutive seasons in order to be considered and nominated for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
CLASS 2023 MODERN PLAYERS
- Jared Allen
- Willie Anderson
- Barber Ronde
- Dwight Freeney
- Devin Hester
- Terry Holt
- André Johnson
- Albert Lewis
- Darrelle Revis
- Joe Thomas
- Zach Thomas
- DeMarcus Store
- Reggie Wayne
- Patrick Willis
- Darren Woodson
In addition to the Modern Times Finalists, Don Coryell was nominated by the coach/contributor committee and three players were nominated by the senior committee: holding quarterback Chuck Howley, the player. save Joe Klecko and midfielder Ken Riley.
The final vote for the Pro Football Hall of Fame will take place later this month by a 49-person selection committee ahead of Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona. The class will be announced live on the “NFL Honors” TV show scheduled to air on February 9.
The 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame will be held on August 5 in Canton.
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Eric D. Williams has covered the NFL for over a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.
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