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End zone in sight: Pro Football Hall of Fame names Jaguars RB Fred Taylor a 2024 finalist
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- End zone in sight: Pro Football Hall of Fame names Jaguars RB Fred Taylor a 2024 finalist
Fred Taylor is one step closer to receiving the gold jacket in Canton.
The former Jacksonville Jaguars running back made the next-to-last cut for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Wednesday night in the Hall's list of 15 modern-era finalists for the Class of 2024.
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Taylor is seeking to become only the second Jaguars inductee in the franchise's 29 seasons of play. Offensive tackle Tony Boselli entered the Hall in 2002.
While Taylor made his first-ever finalist list, another former Jaguar is also among the last 15: wide receiver Torry Holt, who spent nearly his entire career with the St. Louis Rams but lined up for the Jags in his closing season in 2009.
The other 13 finalists are Eric Allen , Jared Allen , Willie Anderson, Jahri Evans , Dwight Freeney , Antonio Gates , Rodney Harrison, Devin Hester , Andre Johnson , Julius Peppers , Reggie Wayne , Patrick Willis and Darren Woodson.
The Hall of Fame is scheduled to announce its final set of inductees during the NFL Honors broadcast on Feb. 8.
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In addition to the modern-era finalists determined Wednesday, the finalist set also includes former Lions and Steelers coach Buddy Parker, nominated by the coach/contributor committee, and seniors committee selections Randy Gradishar, Steve McMichael and Art Powell.
For the first time ever, Taylor will be among the candidates on the list for the committee's final meeting. He had previously reached the 25-man semifinal list for the classes of 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Taylor is among six first-time finalists, including two, former Chargers tight end Gates and former Panthers, Bears and Packers defensive end Peppers, in their first year of eligibility.
He will also be the only running back among the finalists. Tiki Barber, Eddie George and Ricky Watters were all on the semifinal list but missed the cut to 15.
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Fred Taylor: Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist's career resume
Originally from Glades Central High School near Lake Okeechobee in South Florida, and later a national champion at the University of Florida, Taylor gained 11,695 yards rushing and ran for 66 touchdowns during an NFL career spanning from 1998 to 2010.
Taylor gained 11,271 of those yards and scored 62 of his rushing touchdowns during his 11 seasons (1998 to 2008) with the Jaguars. He also caught 290 passes for 2,384 yards and eight touchdowns in the league.
Jaguars running back Fred Taylor (28) looks to put a move on Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Patrick Surtain (23) in a 2007 game.
During his Jaguars years, he surmounted the 1,000-yard barrier seven times (1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007) and averaged 4.6 yards per carry for his career.
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He led the NFL in yards per game during the 2000 season, but he received little Pro Bowl recognition during his career. During a career that largely overlapped Hall of Fame AFC ball carriers including Jerome Bettis, Curtis Martin and LaDainian Tomlinson, Taylor's only Pro Bowl selection came in 2007.
His career rushing yardage ranks 17th all-time and first among eligible running backs not in the Hall of Fame. Frank Gore (16,000) and Adrian Peterson (14,918) are not yet eligible for selection after retiring after the 2020 and 2021 seasons, respectively.
Taylor entered the Pride of the Jaguars in 2012.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Fred Taylor: Jacksonville Jaguars RB named Hall of Fame finalist
