The Steelers are well represented among the Modern Era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020.
Troy Polamalu is a nominee for the first time, this being the first year the safety is eligible for the Hall of Fame. Two of his former defensive teammates, nose tackle Casey Hampton and linebacker James Farrior, are also on the list of nominees.
Alan Faneca, a finalist the last four years, Hines Ward, a semifinalist the last three years, and Gary Anderson are also on the list.
The complete list of Modern Era nominees includes a total of 122 individuals. The Modern Era nominees will be trimmed to 25 semifinalists in November and to 15 finalists in January.
The Hall of Fame Selection Committee will hold their annual meeting on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020. The finalists will go from 15 to 10, and then down to five. The Class of 2020 will be announced during the "NFL Honors" show that evening.
The 2020 Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony will be held next August in Canton, Ohio.
Notes from the Hall of Fame: The Hall of Fame Board recently passed a resolution that suspended the Hall of Fame's Selection Committee By-Laws for the Class of 2020 election cycle only. The measure is intended to honor the NFL's Centennial Celebration through a special Centennial Class that will be comprised of 20 members in 2020. The group will include five Modern-Era players to come from the list announced today in addition to 10 Seniors (a player who has been retired for more than 25 seasons), three Contributors (an individual other than a player or coach) and two Coaches.
The Selection Committee will meet on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020 in Miami to elect the Class of 2020 that will include five Modern-Era players. The Modern-Era Finalists will be trimmed during the meeting from 15 to 10 and then from 10 to the five who will be elected as part of the Class of 2020.
The determination of the Seniors, Contributors and Coaches Finalists will be led by a special 25-person Centennial "Blue-Ribbon" panel who will review the backlog of deserving Seniors, Coaches and Contributors. The Blue-Ribbon Panel will be comprised of Hall of Fame Selectors, Pro Football Hall of Famers, media members, football historians and industry experts.
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.
