Mike Holmgren, coach of the Super Bowl-winning Green Bay Packers, was named a coaching finalist in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2025 class on Tuesday.
On the senior side, former Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe. Maxie Vaughn, a nine-time Pro Bowl linebacker with the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams in the 1960s. And Jim Tyler, a huge offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1960s and 1970s, was selected as a finalist.
Voters on the Appellate Body and their families publicly lobbied for Tyler’s appointment, although his selection was controversial because he murdered his wife and himself in 1980.
As ESPN first reported last month, in the contributor category, the finalist is NFL co-founder Ralph Hay, who owned the Canton Bulldogs from 1918 to 1922. He is credited with hosting the first meeting of the teams that founded the American Professional Football Association. , the predecessor of the NFL.
Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, whose team has won six Super Bowls, was removed from the board of contributors for the 13th time by nine voters.
Holmgren and coach Mike Shanahan were considered the two most likely to emerge from the coaching ranks this year. From 1992 to 1998, Holmgren coached the Packers, leading the team to six playoff appearances, three NFC Central titles, and two NFC Championship Games. In two Super Bowls with the Packers, Holmgren led the Packers to a victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI in New Orleans, but lost to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII in San Diego. .
He coached the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008, leading the team to six postseason appearances and one NFC Championship Game. In Super Bowl 4, the Seahawks lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Sharpe had a short but fulfilling career with the Packers from 1988 to 1994. His best season was 1992, when he set NFL records with 108 catches, 1,461 yards, and 13 touchdowns, becoming the sixth player to complete the receiving triple crown. He broke his own record with 112 catches in 1993 and led the NFL with 18 touchdown receptions in his final season (1994), but a neck injury cut his career short.
Sharpe and Bourne have never been selected as finalists in the contemporary category.
The five finalists will be voted on by the entire committee of 50 Hall of Fame voters early next year. 80 percent of the vote is required for office. Under new rules established this year by the Canton, Ohio-based hall’s board of directors, up to three of the five finalists will be inducted. If none of the five finalists reach the 80% threshold, only the top vote-getters will be selected.
The selection committee will vote individually on the 15 modern-day finalists, and the 2025 inductees will be announced during Super Bowl week in New Orleans in February.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
