Nine individuals have reached the Semifinalist stage in the Seniors category for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 presented by Visual Edge IT. To be considered, each former player last could have appeared in a professional football game in the 2000 season.
The Hall of Fame's nine-person Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee will meet Nov. 25 to determine the three former players who will be Finalists for the new class. Those names, and the names of the Finalists in the Coach and Contributor categories, will be unveiled in early December.
The voting process for Seniors candidates began several weeks ago with 182 nominees.
Advancing as Semifinalists are: Ken Anderson, Roger Craig, Henry Ellard, L.C. Greenwood, Joe Jacoby, Eddie Meador, Stanley Morgan, Steve Tasker and Otis
Taylor.
Here are short bios on each of the nine Semifinalists:
Ken Anderson, quarterback (1971-1986): A four-time Pro Bowler who started at quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1971-1986. League MVP for the 1981 season. Finished career with 32,838 passing yards and 197 passing touchdowns.
Roger Craig, running back (1983-1993): First NFL player to total 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season and won three Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers. Spent eight seasons with the 49ers (1983-1990), one with the Los Angeles Raiders (1991) and two with the Minnesota Vikings (1992-93). Totaled 13,100 yards from scrimmage and scored 73 touchdowns.
Henry Ellard, wide receiver (1983-1998): In 228 career games, totaled 814 receptions for 13,777 yards and 65 touchdowns. Yardage total still ranks 15th in NFL history. Surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in a season seven times, with a league-leading 1,414 yards in 1988.
L.C. Greenwood, defensive end (1969-1981): Four-time Super Bowl winner as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers' "Steel Curtain" defense. First-team All-Pro twice and six-time Pro Bowl honoree. A 10th-round draft pick, he recorded 78 career sacks (unofficially, as the statistic wasn't recognized until 1982).
Joe Jacoby, offensive lineman (1981-1993): During his 13-year career, all with the Washington Redskins, Jacoby won three Super Bowls, twice earned first-team All-Pro honors and was named to the Pro Bowl four consecutive seasons (1983-86).
Eddie Meador, cornerback (1959-1970): Meador played his entire career with the Los Angeles Rams, where he earned two first-team All-Pro selections and six Pro Bowl invitations. He is a member of the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1960s who finished his career with 46 interceptions, which remains a Rams franchise record.
Stanley Morgan, wide receiver (1977-1990): Posted the most yards per reception (19.2) in NFL history among players with more than 500 career receptions and made four Pro Bowls with the New England Patriots. He is still New England's all-time leader in receiving yards (10,352). He played his final NFL season with the Indianapolis Colts.
Steve Tasker, special teams/wide receiver (1985-1997): Elected to seven Pro Bowls, six consecutively (1990-95), as a special teams phenom for the Buffalo Bills during their run to four Super Bowl appearances in the 1990s. Spot contributor at wide receiver and in return game but known best for kick and punt coverage on special teams.
Otis Taylor, wide receiver (1965-1975): Taylor won a Super Bowl IV ring with the Kansas City Chiefs, earned two Pro Bowl selections, two first-team All-Pro selections, an AFL All-Star selection and won two AFL championships during his 10-year career. He led the AFL in touchdown receptions in 1967 and the NFL in receiving yards in 1971.
Reduction voting also is occurring in the Modern-Era Players category. Eventually, 20 Finalists will be presented at the Selection Committee's annual meeting next year in advance of Super Bowl LX: 15 Modern-Era Players, three Seniors, one Coach and one Contributor.
While there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the Hall of Fame's selection process bylaws currently stipulate that between four and eight new members shall be selected.
This year's voting will be completed with oversight from the firm Ernst & Young LLP, a Hall partner since 2019. EY's Agreed-Upon Procedures include validating the completeness of the ballots and tabulating the ballots in accordance with the bylaws established by the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 will be announced at "NFL Honors" in San Francisco in February and enshrined in August in Canton.
