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Ralph Hay among Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists in coach, contributor, senior categories
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- Ralph Hay among Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists in coach, contributor, senior categories
Ralph Hay
CANTON — An NFL founding father from Canton has reached the finalist stage for possible election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2025.
Ralph Hay , the Canton car dealer who helped bring about the National Football League a century ago, is the lone contributor finalist. He joins four others in reaching the finalist stage across three categories.
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The others are Mike Holmgren in the coach category, and three seniors — Maxie Baughan, Sterling Sharpe and Jim Tyrer.
For the first time, the finalists from these categories within the selection process are competing directly against each other under bylaws the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors approved earlier this year. The revision was made to help ensure the exclusivity of the Hall of Fame.
Each member of the Selection Committee may vote for only three of the five finalists. With the bylaws revision, a maximum of three of this year's finalists can be elected. If none of the five individuals receives 80% approval, then the one who receives the most support would be elected to the Class of 2025.
The Selection Committee holds its annual meeting next year in advance of the class being announced during Super Bowl 59 week in New Orleans .
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Hall of Fame contributor finalist: Ralph Hay
A building with mural featuring Ralph Hay and Jim Thorpe in downtown Canton, Aug. 5, 2022.
Hay operated the Canton Bulldogs more than a century ago when they were one of the dominant teams in the early days of pro football, which was played mostly in the Midwest.
Hay was just 29 and owner of a downtown Canton automobile dealership when he organized the 1920 meeting leading to the formation that year of a new professional football league that year. Ten franchises were represented in the first meeting conducted in the Odd Fellows building at the intersection of Cleveland Avenue and 2nd Street SW. The first floor was Hay's automobile dealership.
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On Sept. 17, 1920, the American Professional Football Association was founded in Canton with Hay's Bulldogs being one of the 14 teams that first year. Two years later, the league was renamed to the National Football League. The 1922 Canton Bulldogs went 10-0-2 and were the champions of the newly named NFL . They won the title again in 1923, becoming the league's first two-time champs, though, Hay had sold the team by that time.
He owned the Bulldogs from 1918-22. According to a release from the Hall of Fame, Hay's "supporters have said that among all major professional sports only football has yet to enshrine into its Hall of Fame the person (or persons) credited with founding its dominant league(s)."
The other eight semifinalists in the contributor category this year were K.S. "Bud" Adams, Frank "Bucko" Kilroy, Robert Kraft, Art Modell, Art Rooney Jr., Seymour Siwoff, Doug Williams and John Wooten.
Here's a look at the other finalists, with short bios provided by the Hall:
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Hall of Fame coach finalist: Mike Holmgren
Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Holmgren walks the sideline during Super Bowl XXXI at the Superdome in New Orleans.
Holmgrenserved as head coach in Green Bay from 1992-98, leading the Packers to the playoffs six times in those seven seasons, and with the Seattle Seahawks (1999-2008). His overall record of 174-122 includes winning Super Bowl XXXI with the Packers, ending the franchise's 29-year title drought. He also reached Super Bowl XL after winning the NFC championship with the Seahawks. As an assistant, Holmgren also won two Super Bowl rings with the San Francisco 49ers.
The eight other coach semifinalists this year were Bill Arnsparger, Tom Coughlin, Chuck Knox, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert, Mike Shanahan and Clark Shaughnessy.
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Hall of Fame seniors finalists: Maxie Baughan, Sterling Sharpe, Jim Tyrer
Packers receiver Sterling Sharpe tries to elude Buccaneers defensive back Martin Mayhew at Tampa Stadium, Oct. 24, 1993.
Baughan, an outside linebacker, played from 1960-70, then came out of retirement in 1974 to provide a veteran presence under longtime mentor George Allen in Washington. A nine-time Pro-Bowler, Baughan won an NFL Championship with the Philadelphia Eagles , where he played from 1960-65 before joining the Los Angeles Rams (1966-1970).
Sharpemade five Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pro squads during his seven-year career (1988-94) with the Green Bay Packers that was cut short by a neck injury. His 18 touchdown receptions in his final season are still good for third best in league history. His career totals include 595 receptions for 8,134 yards and 65 touchdowns.
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Tyrerwas considered one of the dominant offensive tackles of his era. He was selected as a member of the AFL's All-Decade Team of the 1960s and played in nine AFL All-Star Games in a career that spanned 13 years with the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs (1961-1973) and – like Baughan – one season in Washington (1974). He won a ring as a member of the Super Bowl IV champion Chiefs and was part of three AFL championship teams with the Texans/Chiefs.
The other semifinalists were Ken Anderson, Lester Hayes, Bob Kuechenberg, Albert Lewis, Stanley Morgan and Al Wistert. Players in this category last could have appeared in a professional game in the 1999 season.
When will the modern-era players finalists be announced for the Hall of Fame's Class of 2025?
Modern-era players — those whose career ended after the 2000 season — are currently at the semifinalist stage where 25 remain under consideration for the Class of 2025: quarterback Eli Manning ; running backs Fred Taylor and Ricky Watters; wide receivers Anquan Boldin , Torry Holt, Steve Smith Sr., Hines Ward and Reggie Wayne ; tight end Antonio Gates ; offensive linemen Willie Anderson, Jahri Evans , Richmond Webb, Steve Wisniewski and Marshal Yanda ; defensive backs Eric Allen , Rodney Harrison, Earl Thomas and Darren Woodson; linebackers James Harrison , Luke Kuechly and Terrell Suggs ; defensive linemen Jared Allen , Robert Mathis and Vince Wilfork ; and kicker Adam Vinatieri .
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Selectors will reduce the number to 15 finalists and they will be announced Dec. 28 through the Hall of Fame and on NFL Network. From those 15, a minimum of three and a maximum of five modern-era players will be in the new class.
When is the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2025 class announced?
The Hall's Class of 2025 will be announced during the "NFL Honors" show Feb. 6, at Saenger Theater in New Orleans.
The 2025 enshrinement is in August in Canton.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Mike Holmgren, Ralph Hay, Jim Tyrer among Hall of Fame finalists
