Pro Football Hall of Fame Senior Semifinalists
Ken Anderson
Roger Craig
Henry Ellard
L.C. Greenwood
Joe Jacoby
Eddie Meador
Stanley Morgan
Steve Tasker
Otis Taylor
I wish that it was a mystery as to how the semifinalist list doesn’t include Lavvie Dilweg and Al Wistert. It’s the same reason the list of 34 didn’t include Verne Lewellen. The committee has closed the Hall of Fame doors on any player that played the bulk of their career before 1950. Dilweg, Wistert, and Lewellen should’ve earned a bust in Canton decades ago. Rather than correct that mistake, the voters continue to make it. Wistert’s continued omission would be like the voters taking a pass on Lane Johnson five years after his retirement and continue passing on him for decades. Perhaps forever. Wistert and Johnson were the best offensive linemen of their respective eras. Both helped guide their team, same team, to two NFL titles. Unlike Johnson, Wistert was also one of the league’s best defensive linemen. How does a Hall of Fame voter ignore such a player? Imagine Lane Johnson waiting his entire life for that Hall call. It feels impossible. That was Wistert’s post-career life. Any Hall voter that shuts the door on decades of NFL history shouldn’t be a Hall voter.
This should be about the nine players that are semifinalists for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class. To be honest, it’s difficult to look at the list without seeing the players that aren’t on it. Of the nine semifinalists, Otis Taylor stands out. There was a time when I often had to confirm that he wasn’t in the Canton. Maybe I’d mix him up with Charley Taylor. Who knows? Perhaps it was the way he helped take apart the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV but I always thought Otis Taylor was one of the best receivers of his era. He’s probably my #1 of the nine semifinalists.
If I had to make a guess as to who the committee might select as the three finalists, I’d have to go with the players that played most recently. Isn’t that what they do?
Henry Ellard
Steve Tasker
Roger Craig
For me, I guess the following are my picks for the finalists.
Ken Anderson
Eddie Meador
Otis Taylor
As a Vikings fan, my hopes are fading fast for Jim Marshall and Chuck Foreman one day making it to Canton. Of the two, I’ve always felt that Foreman is most deserving. During his peak years, he was the most versatile running back in the league. There were a couple years in which he was arguably the league’s best back. If his peak years were a bit longer, he’d have that bust. Foreman’s peak years were Hall of Fame worthy.
The finalists will be revealed in early December.
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