Legendary Raiders coach John Madden was announced Thursday as part of a 25-member panel that will select a special Centennial Class into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Twenty new members of the Hall of Fame will be inducted in 2020, which includes five modern-era players, 10 seniors (a player who has been retired for more than 25 seasons), two coaches and three contributors (an individual other than a player or coach).
The panel that will elect the seniors, coaches and contributors includes Hall of Famers Madden, Ron Wolf, Bill Polian, Ozzie Newsome and Dick LeBeau. Six-time Super Bowl champion head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots also is on the panel.
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The blue-ribbon panel also includes 13 members of the overall selection committee, as well as former football executives and several leading historians.
A comprehensive list of nominated seniors, contributors and coaches will be compiled and presented to the panel by the end of this month, the Hall of Fame announced.
A reduction vote by the panel to 20 seniors, 10 contributors and 8 coaches will be announced in the fall. The special panel will then meet in person to vote for 10 seniors, three contributors and two coaches.
Among the former Raiders considered strong candidates for the expanded class are three-time All-Pro wide receiver Cliff Branch and two Super Bowl-winning head coach Tom Flores. Former 49ers and Raiders running back Roger Craig is also among the potential seniors candidates. George Seifert is a two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach of the 49ers who could warrant consideration, too.
NFL
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The expanded class will join the five-member class that will be determined among the 122 nominees that recently was announced. The five-member class of modern-era Hall of Famers will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio, in August 2020, with the additional 15 inductees being honored during the NFL Centennial Celebration in September 2020.
Hall of Fame Blue-Ribbon Panel
Ernie Accorsi – Longtime Pro Football Executive
Bill Belichick – New England Patriots Head Coach
Jarrett Bell – Hall of Fame Selector, USA Today
Joel Bussert – Former NFL Executive, Pro Football Historian
John Clayton – Hall of Fame Selector, The Washington Post
Frank Cooney – Hall of Fame Selector, Sports XChange
John Czarnecki – Hall of Fame Selector, FOX Sports
Rick Gosselin – Hall of Fame Selector, Talk of Fame Network
Elliott Harrison – Pro Football Historian and Long-time TV Analyst
Joe Horrigan – Retired Pro Football Hall of Fame Executive, Football Historian
Ira Kaufman – Hall of Fame Selector, JoeBucsFan.com
Dick LeBeau – Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback, Longtime NFL coach
Jeff Legwold – Hall of Fame Selector, ESPN/ESPN.com
John Madden – Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach
John McClain – Hall of Fame Selector, Houston Chronicle
Gary Myers – Hall of Fame Selector, The Athletic
Ozzie Newsome – Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end, former EVP Baltimore Ravens
Sal Paolantonio – Hall of Fame Selector, Senior National Correspondent - ESPN
Carl Peterson – Longtime Pro Football Executive
Bill Polian – Pro Football Hall of Fame Contributor
Dan Pompei – Hall of Fame Selector, The Athletic
Charean Williams – Hall of Fame Selector, Pro Football Talk
Chris Willis – Producer- Head of Research Library - NFL Films, Football Historian
Barry Wilner – Hall of Fame Selector, Associated Press
Ron Wolf – Pro Football Hall of Fame Contributor