Several former Steelers took the next step toward football immortality when the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the Gold Jacket semi-finalists for the Class of 2016.
Among those who advanced are guard Alan Faneca and linebacker Kevin Greene.
Faneca was the Steelers first-round draft pick in 1998 and played 10 seasons for the black and gold, and 13 overall in the NFL. He was a member of the Super Bowl XL Championship team, and was selected to nine Pro Bowls. Faneca was a six-time All-Pro selection and was named to the Steelers All-Time Team in 2007 and the NFL 2000's All-Decade Team.
Photos from the career of former Steelers LB Kevin Greene.
Greene, a previous finalist, played 15 seasons in the NFL, three of them with the Steelers (1993-95). He was a fifth-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 1985, and soared to success in his fourth NFL season when he finished the year with 16.5 sacks. In his three seasons with the Steelers he had 35.5 sacks and two Pro Bowl selections. He finished his career with 160 sacks, 26 fumble recoveries, five interceptions, and recorded three safeties.
In addition, Tony Dungy is a semi-finalist for his career as a head coach with Tampa Bay and Indianapolis. Dungy played for the Steelers and was an assistant coach.
The semi-finalists will be narrowed down to 15 Modern Era finalists in January, 2016 and the Class of 2016 will be determined on Saturday, February 6, 2016 in San Francisco and be announced during the NFL Honors show. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2016 will be enshrined on Saturday, August 6, 2016.
The Steelers currently have 23 members in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the most recent being running back Jerome Bettis who was a member of the Class of 2015.
