The Pro Football Hall of Fame is set to announce Mike Holmgren, Sterling Sharp, Maxie Baughan, Jim Tyre and Ralph Haye as finalists for the Class of 2025.
Holmgren is this year’s coaching candidate. He spent seven years as coach of the Packers and 10 years as coach of the Seahawks, winning one Super Bowl in Green Bay and two more Super Bowls, once with Green Bay and once with Seattle.
Sharp is one of three senior candidates. He played for Holmgren as a receiver for the Packers and led the NFL in catches three times, twice in receiving touchdowns and once in receiving yards. He was one of the best receivers in football throughout his career, a career that was cut short after seven seasons in 1994 by a neck injury. If he is elected, he could be one of two players to join their brothers in the Hall of Fame in 2025; Sharpe’s brother Shannon Sharpe is in the Hall of Fame, and Eli Manning is expected to join Peyton Manning in 2025.
Baghan, who died last year, is another senior candidate. He was a linebacker who played 15 seasons for three teams and was a nine-time Pro Bowler.
Tire’s third senior candidate. He was an offensive tackle who played most of his career for the Chiefs and was an eight-time AFL All-Star and then a two-time Pro Bowler after the AFL-NFL merger. Tyer killed his wife and then himself in 1980, and some Hall of Fame voters may choose against electing him because of that.
Haye owned the Canton Bulldogs from 1918 to 1922 and is widely credited with organizing the first meeting of professional football teams that eventually led to the formation of the National Football League.
Those five finalists will be considered along with 15 modern-era players for the Class of 2025, who will be voted on in January and inducted in August.
