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George Saimes, Bob Vogel among 162 senior player nominees for Pro Football Hall of Fame
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- George Saimes, Bob Vogel among 162 senior player nominees for Pro Football Hall of Fame
CANTON — More than 150 past players are nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 in the Seniors category, for candidates whose last season was 2000 or earlier.
As noted by the Hall, "The Seniors Screening Committee, an entity created in 2025 to add additional input around the overall selection process," will cut the list to 50 by early October. Later this fall, a Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee will select three Seniors as finalists for possible election to the Class of 2026.
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Familiar names with Browns ties include linebacker Clay Matthews Jr., receiver Gary Collins, left tackle Dick Schafrath , running back Earnest Byner and defensive back Warren Lahr.
Among them, based on past discussions and Hall of Fame ballots, Matthews has the best chance to be a finalist.
Also nominated is the late George Saimes , a member of American Football League's all-time team who played safety for the Bills . Saimes played high school ball at Canton Lincoln and eventually settled in North Canton. Another nominee is five-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Bob Vogel , who played for the Massillon Tigers en route to the Baltimore Colts.
The full list of 162 senior nominees follows below.
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Senior NFL/AFL player nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026
Clay Matthews, 1988 Cleveland Browns linebacker
Players must have last played at least 25 full seasons ago — no more recently than the 2000 season — to be eligible for nomination in this category. Qualifications for candidacy include five years of service and at least one recognized postseason honor.
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Quarterbacks (9): Ken Anderson, Charlie Conerly, Roman Gabriel, John Hadl, Jack Kemp, Don Meredith, Earl Morrall, Jim Plunkett, Doug Williams
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Backs/Running Backs (16): Alan Ameche, Ottis Anderson, Larry Brown, Earnest Byner, Roger Craig, John David Crow, Chuck Foreman, Cecil Isbell, Verne Lewellen, Jack Manders, Mercury Morris, Don Perkins, Billy Sims, Herschel Walker, Byron "Whizzer" White, Paul "Tank" Younger
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Ends/Wide Receivers/Tight Ends (30): Fred Arbanas, Todd Christensen, Mark Clayton, Ben Coates, Gary Collins, Isaac Curtis, Carroll Dale, Lavvie Dilweg, Boyd Dowler, Mark Duper, Henry Ellard, Jimmie Giles, Charley Hennigan, Billy Howton, Harold Jackson, Keith Jackson, Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, Brent Jones, Homer Jones, Steve Jordan, Eric Martin, Stanley Morgan, Jay Novacek, Art Powell, Del Shofner, Lionel Taylor, Otis Taylor, Rick Upchurch, Bobby Walston, Billy Wilson
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Offensive Lineman (35): Heartley "Hunk" Anderson, Bruce Armstrong, Stew Barber, Dick Barwegen, Ed Budde, Ox Emerson, Gale Gillingham, Charles "Buckets" Goldenberg, Ken Gray, Dennis Harrah, Jay Hilgenberg, Chris Hinton, Joe Jacoby, Mike Kenn, Bob Kuechenberg, George Kunz, Riley Matheson, Max Montoya, Jon Morris, Ralph Neely, John Niland, Bart Oates, Marvin Powell, Duane Putnam, Dick Schafrath, Jerry Sisemore, Doug Smith, Walt Sweeney, Bob Talamini, Fuzzy Thurston, Jim Tyrer, Bob Vogel, Ed White, Ray Wietecha, Al Wistert
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Defensive Lineman (15): Houston Antwine, Gene Brito, Roger Brown, Earl Faison, Mark Gastineau, L.C. Greenwood, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Jim Marshall, Leonard Marshall, Harvey Martin, Jerry Mays, Tom Sestak, Fred Smerlas, Neil Smith, Bill Stanfill
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Linebackers (25): Carl Banks, Maxie Baughan, Cornelius Bennett, Bill Bergey, Matt Blair , Mike Curtis, Joe Fortunato, Larry Grantham, Tim Harris, E.J. Holub (also OL), Vaughan Johnson, Lee Roy Jordan, Seth Joyner, Greg Lloyd, Wilber Marshall, Rod Martin, Clay Matthews Jr., Bud McFadin, Karl Mecklenburg, Matt Millen, Tommy Nobis, Isiah Robertson, Pat Swilling, Darryl Talley, Keena Turner
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Defensive Backs (27): Dick Anderson, Bobby Boyd, Dave Brown, Joey Browner, Butch Byrd, Don Doll, Pat Fischer, Goose Gonsoulin, Dave Grayson, Cornell Green, Merton Hanks, Lester Hayes, Warren Lahr, Albert Lewis, Tim McDonald, Eddie Meador, Lemar Parrish, Jimmy Patton, Eugene Robinson, George Saimes, Jake Scott, Dennis Smith, Jack Tatum, Everson Walls, Charlie Waters, Abe Woodson, Louis Wright
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Kickers/Punters (3): Jim Bakken, Jim Breech, Nick Lowery
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Special Teams (2): Mel Gray, Steve Tasker
The Canton Repository sports department can be contacted via email at sports@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Senior player nominees for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026
