Pro Football Hall Of Fame Finalists: Jerome Bettis, Deion Sanders Among Finalists

CANTON, Ohio — Running backs Curtis Martin, Jerome Bettis and Marshall Faulk and cornerback Deion Sanders are among 15 finalists announced Sunday for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's class of 2011.

Martin, Bettis and Faulk are among the NFL's top 10 leading rushers, and are eligible for the first time. Sanders and offensive tackle Willie Roaf also are eligible for the first time.

The other finalists are receivers Tim Brown, Andre Reed and Cris Carter; center Dermontti Dawson; defensive ends Richard Dent, Charles Haley and Chris Doleman; defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy; and tight end Shannon Sharpe, along with NFL filmmaker Ed Sabol.

The 15 finalists, plus senior nominees Chris Hanburger and Les Richter will be considered for induction Feb. 5, the day before the Super Bowl. The enshrinement is in August.

Martin retired from the New York Jets as the No. 4 overall rusher with 14,101 yards in 11 seasons. One of the most consistent backs of his era, he ran for 1,000 yards in 10 straight seasons.

Bettis ranks fifth at 13,662 yards in 13 seasons, three for the Rams and a decade with the Steelers, with whom he won the 2006 Super Bowl in his final game.

Faulk is 10th in rushing with 12,279 yards for the Colts and Rams and won the 2000 Super Bowl with St. Louis. A prime receiver out of the backfield, Faulk was the 2000 NFL MVP.

Sanders scored nine times on interceptions, also played offense at times, and is a former major league baseball player. He won the 1995 Super Bowl with San Francisco and the 1996 game with Dallas.

Roaf, the eighth overall draft choice in 1993 by New Orleans, played right tackle as a rookie, then spent the next 12 seasons as a left tackle. He made 11 Pro Bowls as a premier blocker, particularly in pass protection, and was voted the NFL's 1990s All-Decade team.

Comments

[curiousdemo]

05:20 AM on 01/20/2011

Its a shame that Andre Reed is not in already. Man, I didn't follow the Bills, but every time I watched highlights of games on ESPN, this brother was going across the middle for a touchdown.

[coolmaiden]

05:25 PM on 01/10/2011

Sanders, Faulk, Roaf, Sharpe.

[Believein2012]

02:04 PM on 01/10/2011

Lol Dieon? Can anyone out there name a single HOF defensive player who was taken off the field whenever the opposition came near the goal line because his coaches knew he couldn't/wouldn't make a tackle?

[VPutin]

05:18 PM on 01/10/2011

There you go again Believein2012 only focus on defense...what about Franco Harris did he ever take a hit?

[King Cashaw]

12:07 PM on 01/10/2011

Deon Sanders, really? Granted, I do not follow football closely, so that being said, please explain Deon Sanders.

[Angelus2007]

01:05 PM on 01/10/2011

He is #23 All time in Interceptions with 53. He is and 8 time Pro-Bowler and 6 time 1st team All-Pro. He is the all time NFL leader in non-offensive TDs.

He was a great player and should be a Hall-of-Famer.

[King Cashaw]

07:47 AM on 01/11/2011

Thank you. I have a different knowledge of Sanders.

[mfrantom]

11:58 AM on 01/10/2011

Awesome class. It's a shame only 7 can get in. Wow. It's pretty cool to see guys I grew up with in each HOF class now.

[deltalady]

11:14 AM on 01/10/2011

Thank God for Jerome...he's the best. Deion Sanders? Makes me sick to see him there as well as his buddy Michael Irvin. At least Deion wasn't a cokehead like Irvin, but his arrogance and loud mouth always made me sick. I won't watch the pregame shows when he's on. Can't stand him. And down here in San Antonio, you don't have a choice of what you want to watch on Sundays. ALWAYS the Cowboys, so we had a lot more exposure than most to Sanders' behavior.

[berryessence]

07:32 AM on 01/10/2011

everylast person for this year HOF DESERVES to be there... DAMN this is a good induction.. I may watch it on ESPN

[cameron d]

12:20 AM on 01/10/2011

Cris Carter, Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders, Shannon Sharpe.

[ducatigp]

10:15 PM on 01/09/2011

the BUS for sure. Not only for the way he played on the field but way he conducted himself off the field. Pittsburgh loves him, and he never forgot his Detroit. He is a class act.

[berryessence]

07:33 AM on 01/10/2011

and fine as hell too :)

[Gigity]

10:06 PM on 01/09/2011

So many more deserving players than Martin. Hope to see Deion and The Bus get in. Deion's a bit of a clown, but man was he ever fun to watch in both college and the pros. He's the first guy I remember to basically remove half the field from QBs.

[RastaPunx]

09:40 PM on 01/09/2011

Marshall Faulk could come back TODAY and still be one of the better RB in the league haha

[HarlowGal1960]

08:41 PM on 01/09/2011

can't imagine the nfl without ed sabol!

[Dominick Roffo]

08:25 PM on 01/09/2011

I hope they don't pass over Andre Reed again. He's the only major player in the Bill's superbowl era not to be inducted yet.

[MuchMadness]

08:00 PM on 01/09/2011

If so many running backs are racking up so many yards, the defenses must not be as good as they used to be.

[arusticat]

06:52 PM on 01/09/2011

Curtis Martin's 14,000 yds rushing are the quietest 14,000 yards that I never heard of. Maybe it's because he always played on lousy teams (that's supposed to be a humorous jab from a Pat's fan).

[ydrittmann]

09:36 PM on 01/09/2011

1,000 yards in a sixteen game season is nothing. 1333 yards is the equivalent to the fourteen game season.