John Lynch, Patrick Willis, Ricky Watters, Bryant Young and Isaac Bruce are among the 25 semifinalists of the Modern-Era players for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2020.
Willis, a first-year eligible player, is joined by Watters and Young, who are semifinalists for the first time. Lynch makes his eighth year as a semifinalist and Bruce is a six-time semifinalist. To be considered for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a nominated individual must not have participated as an active player for five consecutive seasons.
The nominees include 10 offensive players, 14 defensive players and one special teams player.
According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the 25 Modern-Era players list will be reduced to 15 finalists that will be announced on Jan. 2, 2020. The finalists will then be presented to the full 48-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee during its annual meeting on "Selection Saturday," on Feb. 1, 2020, the day before Super Bowl LIV. The Selection Committee will elect five Modern-Era players for the Class of 2020.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2020 will be introduced during NFL Honors, a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally on the eve of Super Bowl LIV at 9 p.m. (ET and PT) on FOX. NFL Honors will be taped earlier that evening at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami when the Hall of Fame's Centennial Class of 2020 will be brought together for the first time. In addition, the NFL and The Associated Press will announce their annual accolades during the awards show with the winners on hand to accept their awards.
The Centennial Class of 2020 will be formally enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame during the annual Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls from Aug. 6-9, 2020 and the Centennial Celebration in Canton on Sept. 16-19, 2020.
Here's more on the five 49ers who are nominated for the Class of 2020.
RB Ricky Watters – Watters was a three-time Pro Bowler as a member of the 49ers. The running back rushed for 2,840 yards and 25 touchdowns in his three-year career in San Francisco and also hauled in 140 receptions for 1,450 yards and eight touchdowns. Watters was a member of the 49ers Super Bowl XXIX championship team.
WR Isaac Bruce – Bruce finished his 16-year NFL career with San Francisco. The receiver hauled in 82 passes for 1,099 yards and seven touchdowns in his two seasons with the 49ers.
DT Bryant Young – The 49ers first round (seventh overall) pick in the 1994 NFL Draft earned four trips to the Pro Bowl and was named as an All-Pro in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2001 and was a part of San Francisco's Super Bowl XXIX championship team.
LB Patrick Willis – The 49ers former first-round pick in the 2007 draft played his entire eight-year career with San Francisco. Willis earned seven trips to the Pro Bowl, was a six-time All-Pro, named the 2007 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2007.
S John Lynch – San Francisco's general manager constructed one of the all-time great NFL careers while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1993-2003) and the Denver Broncos (2004-07). A four-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowl selection, he played in 224 games (191 starts) and registered 1,054 tackles, 13.0 sacks, 26 interceptions, 16 forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries and 100 passes defended.
Fans can vote as many times as they wish at ProFootballhHOF.com/fanvote for their favorite Modern-Era players under consideration for the Class of 2020.
Fans who vote automatically become eligible for many sweepstakes prizes, including a Grand Prize trip for two (2) to the four spectacular days of the 2020 Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls in Canton from Aug. 6-9, 2020.
Here's a full list of all 25 2020 Modern-Era Player Semifinalists:
- Steve Atwater, S – 1989-1998 Denver Broncos, 1999 New York Jets | (Times as a Semifinalist: 9 – 2012-2020)
- Carl Banks, LB – 1984-1992 New York Giants, 1993 Washington Redskins, 1994-95 Cleveland Browns | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2020)
- Ronde Barber, CB/S – 1997-2012 Tampa Bay Buccaneers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2018-2020)
- Tony Boselli, T – 1995-2001 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2002 Houston Texans (injured reserve) | (Times as a Semifinalist: 5 – 2016-2020)
- Isaac Bruce, WR – 1994-2007 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 2008-09 San Francisco 49ers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 6 – 2015-2020)
- LeRoy Butler, S – 1990-2001 Green Bay Packers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2018-2020)
- Alan Faneca, G – 1998-2007 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2008-09 New York Jets, 2010 Arizona Cardinals | (Times as a Semifinalist: 5 – 2016-2020)
- Torry Holt, WR – 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars | (Times as a Semifinalist: 6 – 2015-2020)
- Steve Hutchinson, G – 2001-05 Seattle Seahawks, 2006-2011 Minnesota Vikings, 2012 Tennessee Titans | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2018-2020)
- Edgerrin James, RB – 1999-2005 Indianapolis Colts, 2006-08 Arizona Cardinals, 2009 Seattle Seahawks | (Times as a Semifinalist: 6 – 2015-2020)
- John Lynch, FS – 1993-2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004-07 Denver Broncos | (Times as a Semifinalist: 8 – 2013-2020)
- Clay Matthews, LB – 1978-1993 Cleveland Browns, 1994-96 Atlanta Falcons | (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2012, 2017, 2019-2020)
- Sam Mills, LB – 1986-1994 New Orleans Saints, 1995-97 Carolina Panthers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2016, 2019-2020)
- Troy Polamalu, S – 2003-2014 Pittsburgh Steelers (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2020)
- Simeon Rice, DE – 1996-2000 Arizona Cardinals, 2001-06 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2007 Denver Broncos, 2007 Indianapolis Colts | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2018, 2020)
- Richard Seymour, DE/DT – 2001-08 New England Patriots, 2009-2012 Oakland Raiders | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2018-2020)
- Steve Tasker, ST/WR – 1985-86 Houston Oilers, 1986-1997 Buffalo Bills | (Times as a Semifinalist: 7 – 2004, 2008-2010, 2012-13, 2020)
- Fred Taylor, RB – 1998-2008 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2009-2010 New England Patriots | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2020)
- Zach Thomas, LB – 1996-2007 Miami Dolphins, 2008 Dallas Cowboys | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2019-2020)
- Hines Ward, WR – 1998-2011 Pittsburgh Steelers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2017-2020)
- Ricky Watters, RB – 1992-94 San Francisco 49ers, 1995-97 Philadelphia Eagles, 1998-2001 Seattle Seahawks | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2020)
- Reggie Wayne, WR – 2001-2014 Indianapolis Colts | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2020)
- Patrick Willis, LB – 2007-2014 San Francisco 49ers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2020)
- Darren Woodson, S – 1992-2003 Dallas Cowboys | (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2015, 2017, 2019-2020)
- Bryant Young, DT – 1994-2007 San Francisco 49ers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2020)
To learn more, visit ProFootballHOF.com.
