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Don Van Natta Jr., ESPN senior writer
Super Bowl-winning Green Bay Packers coach Mike Holmgren was chosen Tuesday as a finalist coach for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.
In the senior category, former Packers receiver Sterling Sharpe; Maxie Baughan, a linebacker who was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection in the 1960s for the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams; and Jim Tyrer, the gigantic offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1960s and ’70s, were named finalists.
Tyrer’s selection is controversial, as he died in a murder-suicide of his wife in 1980, but high-level committee voters and his relatives publicly pushed for his addition.
In the contributor category, as ESPN first reported last month, the finalist is NFL co-founder Ralph Hay, owner of the Canton Bulldogs from 1918 to 1922. He is recognized for organizing the first meeting of teams that formed the Association American Professional Football. , the precursor to the NFL.
Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots whose teams have won six Super Bowls, was snubbed for the 13th time by the nine voters on the taxpayer committee.
Holmgren and coach Mike Shanahan were believed to be the two most likely favorites to emerge from the coaching ranks this year. From 1992 to 1998, Holmgren coached the Packers, leading the team to six playoff appearances, three NFC Central titles and two NFC Championship Games. In two Super Bowls with the Packers, Holmgren led the Packers to a victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI in New Orleans, but lost Super Bowl XXXII to the Denver Broncos in San Diego.
As coach of the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008, he led the franchise to six postseason appearances and one NFC Championship Game. In Super Bowl XL, his Seahawks lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Sharpe had a short but productive career with the Packers from 1988 to 1994. His best season came in 1992, when he became the sixth player to win the receiving triple crown, setting an NFL record with 108 receptions for 1,461 yards and 13 touchdowns. He broke his own record with 112 receptions in 1993 and led the NFL with 18 touchdown receptions in his final season (1994) before a neck injury cut short his career.
Sharpe and Baughan were never finalists during their time in the modern era category.
The five finalists will be voted on early next year by the Hall of Fame’s full committee of 50 voters. Eighty percent of the vote is needed for induction. Of the five finalists, a maximum of three will be admitted, according to new rules established this year by the board of directors of the Hall, based in Canton, Ohio. If none of the five finalists reaches the 80% threshold, only the one with the greatest number of votes will be chosen.
The selection committee will vote separately on 15 modern-era finalists, and the 2025 inductees will be announced during Super Bowl week in New Orleans in February.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
