Denver Native (Carol)
08-12-2010, 09:08 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_15747961?source=rss
Today's question comes from Don Olmstead, a regular contributor. Send your question about the Broncos via e-mail to jlegwold@denverpost.com.
Q: When will former Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar be eligible for Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration again via the seniors committee?
A: Don, thanks as always for taking the time to participate. A lot of folks have had questions about the Hall of Fame selection process.
There are two levels of consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
For former players, that means from a point beginning five full years after their retirement extending 25 years, they are considered "modern-era" candidates.
They are on the list of eligible players each year and can be made a finalist — the 15 modern-era candidates who are discussed and reviewed for enshrinement at the meeting of the full board or selectors the day before the Super Bowl in the Super Bowl city.
Those modern-era candidates go through layers of voting as the original ballot each year is trimmed from the full ballot to 25 and then from 25 to 15.
Gradishar was a finalist at least twice in that 25-year period when he was a modern-era candidate.
Now that his 25-year window has closed, Gradishar is considered a seniors candidate.
Under the current bylaws of the Hall of Fame, two seniors-committee nominees are put forth as finalists for enshrinement each year. Those two, in addition to the 15 modern-era candidates, make 17 players overall considered for enshrinement in the meeting that takes place during Super Bowl weekend.
The seniors candidates, however, are simply discussed and then voted on "yes" or "no." Both seniors candidates could make it into the Hall of Fame, just one seniors candidate could make it or neither seniors candidate would make it if he didn't receive enough votes.
There is a nine-member seniors committee within the full board of selectors that has the herculean task of sorting through a huge list to put forth two seniors candidates each year.
There is no limit on the number of times a senior candidate can be considered and discussed by the seniors committee at their annual summer meeting. That means Gradishar, and other players on the list, are eligible to be discussed each year.
The dilemma is the huge size of the list, because it covers the entire history of professional football. The only people who aren't eligible to be on it are the people already enshrined in Canton, Ohio.
That's why players such as Floyd Little, Rayfield Wright, Charlie Sanders and Dick LeBeau had to wait 30 or more years for their enshrinement.
As for Gradishar, at this point it's just a matter of the seniors committee selecting him as one of the players to be considered for enshrinement.
That can be a tall order, but he is eligible for that discussion every year.
Today's question comes from Don Olmstead, a regular contributor. Send your question about the Broncos via e-mail to jlegwold@denverpost.com.
Q: When will former Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar be eligible for Pro Football Hall of Fame consideration again via the seniors committee?
A: Don, thanks as always for taking the time to participate. A lot of folks have had questions about the Hall of Fame selection process.
There are two levels of consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
For former players, that means from a point beginning five full years after their retirement extending 25 years, they are considered "modern-era" candidates.
They are on the list of eligible players each year and can be made a finalist — the 15 modern-era candidates who are discussed and reviewed for enshrinement at the meeting of the full board or selectors the day before the Super Bowl in the Super Bowl city.
Those modern-era candidates go through layers of voting as the original ballot each year is trimmed from the full ballot to 25 and then from 25 to 15.
Gradishar was a finalist at least twice in that 25-year period when he was a modern-era candidate.
Now that his 25-year window has closed, Gradishar is considered a seniors candidate.
Under the current bylaws of the Hall of Fame, two seniors-committee nominees are put forth as finalists for enshrinement each year. Those two, in addition to the 15 modern-era candidates, make 17 players overall considered for enshrinement in the meeting that takes place during Super Bowl weekend.
The seniors candidates, however, are simply discussed and then voted on "yes" or "no." Both seniors candidates could make it into the Hall of Fame, just one seniors candidate could make it or neither seniors candidate would make it if he didn't receive enough votes.
There is a nine-member seniors committee within the full board of selectors that has the herculean task of sorting through a huge list to put forth two seniors candidates each year.
There is no limit on the number of times a senior candidate can be considered and discussed by the seniors committee at their annual summer meeting. That means Gradishar, and other players on the list, are eligible to be discussed each year.
The dilemma is the huge size of the list, because it covers the entire history of professional football. The only people who aren't eligible to be on it are the people already enshrined in Canton, Ohio.
That's why players such as Floyd Little, Rayfield Wright, Charlie Sanders and Dick LeBeau had to wait 30 or more years for their enshrinement.
As for Gradishar, at this point it's just a matter of the seniors committee selecting him as one of the players to be considered for enshrinement.
That can be a tall order, but he is eligible for that discussion every year.