Roger Craig and Terrell Owens have been named to the list of 26 NFL greats vying for a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2017.
This is the ninth time that Craig has been selected as a semifinalist for induction in Canton, Ohio. The former 49ers running back won three Super Bowls during his career and was named to the Pro Bowl on four occasions. Craig ran the ball 1,991 times during his career for 8,189 yards and 56 touchdowns. The versatile playmaker added 566 receptions for 4,911 yards and 17 touchdowns through the air. In 1985, Craig's 92 catches were tops in the league. Craig earned All-Pro honors in 1988 after posting an NFL-best 2,036 yards from scrimmage.
Owens is now a semifinalist for the second consecutive year since becoming eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2016. The 6-foot-3 receiver narrowly missed induction as a finalist last year and is a good bet to be enshrined with the 2017 class. Owens made the Pro Bowl six times during his 15-year career and was named All-Pro five times. The receiver's 1,078 career catches rank sixth in NFL history, his 15,934 receiving yards rank second and his 153 touchdowns rank third.
Brian Dawkins, Jason Taylor, LaDanian Tomlinson and Hines Ward are the notable players who are eligible for induction for the first time this year.
The list of semifinalists was reduced from an initial group of 94 nominees. The next step in the selection process comes in January when the list is trimmed to 15 modern-era finalists.
In the contributor category (the same avenue that Edward DeBartolo Jr. earned his selection), Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and former NFL commissioner Paul Tabliabue are up for induction.
The 2017 Class for the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be revealed on Saturday Feb. 4, 2017 in Houston on the eve of Super Bowl LI.
