Pro Football Hall of Fame: Doug Williams, Robert Kraft among nine contributor semifinalists for Class of 2025

Nine individuals are one step closer toward football immortality. On Wednesday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame revealed the nine contributors who survived the latest round of cuts for possible induction next summer. 

The voters, who started with 47 contributors before trimming that number to 25 earlier this month, will meet again on Nov. 12 to select one contributor finalist for possible induction in 2025. A contributor, as defined by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is an individual who has made “outstanding contributions to professional football in capacities other than playing or coaching.” 

Here’s a look at each contributor semifinalist. 

• K.S. “Bud” Adams: Adams’ 50-plus years in the NFL included being the founder, owner, chairman of the board, president and CEO of the Titans/Oilers franchise. 

• Ralph Hay: A co-founder of the NFL as well as the owner of the two-time NFL champion Canton Bulldogs. Hay is credited with hosting the NFL’s formational meeting in his car dealership in downtown Canton.
• Frank “Bucko” Kilroy: A former player, Kilroy spent five decades as an NFL executive. He won three Super Bowls with the Patriots while working as a consultant. 

• Robert Kraft: Patriots owner since 1994, Kraft’s teams have won six Super Bowls and 10 AFC titles. Kraft played a role in ending the 2011 lockout. Kraft is also credited with helping broker several lucrative TV deals for the league. 

• Art Modell: Modell serves as the owner of the Cleveland Browns from 1961-1995 and the Baltimore Ravens from 1996-2011. Modell won a title in both cities (Cleveland in 1964, Baltimore in 2000). 

• Art Rooney Jr.: A pivotal part of the Steelers’ 1970s dynasty, Rooney worked with Hall of Fame scout Bill Nunn and others to assemble a roster that fielded 10 future Hall of Fame players who won four Super Bowls from 1974-79. 

• Seymour Siwoff: The former owner and president of Elias Sports Bureau, the NFL’s official statisticians.

• Doug Williams: A trailblazer, Williams helped defeat the stigma surrounding Black quarterbacks. He helped the Buccaneers shock everyone by reaching the 1979 NFC title game in his second season in the NFL. Eight years later, Williams won Super Bowl MVP while becoming the first Black starting quarterback to win the Super Bowl. Williams threw for then-Super Bowl records 340 yards and four touchdowns in Washington’s 42-10 win over Denver. Washington’s 35 points in the second quarter is still a Super Bowl record for points in a quarter. 

• John Wooten: Wooten won a Super Bowl and three NFC titles as the director of pro scouting for the Dallas Cowboys from 1975-1991. In 1991, Wooten created player development programs for the NFL. He also served as the vice president of player personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1992 and the assistant director of pro/college scouting for the Ravens until his retirement in 2002.