Pro Football Hall of Fame trims senior nominees down to 31: Three former quarterbacks make the cut

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has made another step toward finalizing its 2025 induction class. On Tuesday, the Hall of Fame revealed its list of 31 senior candidates who will be considered for induction in Canton, Ohio, next summer. 

The remaining candidates were part of the Hall of Fame’s initial pool of 183 former players who have been retired for at least 25 years. That list was recently whittled down to 60 before the committee cut the list nearly in half this week. From here, a nine-person committee will select three seniors as finalists for induction with the rest of this year’s class. 

Included in the 31 senior candidates are three former quarterbacks, including Jim Plunkett, who made history in 1980 by becoming the first minority quarterback to win the Super Bowl. Plunkett won two Super Bowls with the Raiders and was MVP of Super Bowl XV. 

Courtesy of the Hall of Fame, here’s a position-by-position look at each senior who made the cut. 

QUARTERBACKS (3): Ken Anderson, Charlie Conerly, Jim Plunkett

RUNNING BACKS (5): Ottis Anderson, Roger Craig, Chuck Foreman, Cecil Isbell, Paul “Tank” Younger

WIDE RECEIVERS (5): Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, Stanley Morgan, Art Powell, Sterling Sharpe, Otis Taylor

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (7): Ox Emerson, Joe Jacoby, Mike Kenn, Bob Kuechenberg, George Kunz, Jim Tyrer, Al Wistert

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (2): Jim Marshall, Harvey Martin

LINEBACKERS (5): Carl Banks, Maxie Baughan, Larry Grantham, Lee Roy Jordan, Clay Matthews Jr., Tommy Nobis

DEFENSIVE BACKS (4): Lester Hayes, Albert Lewis, Eddie Meador, Everson Walls