Versatile running back Roger Craig, former MVP Ken Anderson, and standout wide receiver Sterling Sharpe are among the athletes who have progressed to the next tier in the seniors category for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
The Hall of Fame released a list of 31 candidates on Tuesday, which has been narrowed down from 60 nominees proposed last month by a newly established Seniors Screening Committee.
In the coming weeks, a nine-member Senior Blue Ribbon Committee will further reduce this list to nine finalists. From those, three seniors will be nominated to be reviewed by the full selection committee in early 2025. The three senior nominees will be joined by one coach and one contributor, with the possibility of one to three finalists being inducted based on the resulting vote.
Among the ten players who made it to this year’s nomination list, Craig, Anderson, and Sharpe were also semi-finalists in the previous year when Steve McMichael and Randy Gradishar were inducted as seniors.
Returning semi-finalists include Maxie Baughan, Joe Jacoby, Albert Lewis, Eddie Meador, Art Powell, Otis Taylor, and Al Wistert. Powell reached the final stage but did not achieve the required 80% voting threshold for induction.
To be eligible for the seniors category, players must have concluded their careers by the end of the 1999 season.
Roger Craig was instrumental in the San Francisco 49ers’ dominance during the 1980s, showcasing his prowess as both a powerful runner and a capable receiver. In a historic season in 1985, he became the first player to achieve both 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same campaign. He also topped the NFL in 1988 with 2,036 yards from scrimmage, aiding the 49ers in securing the Super Bowl.
Craig contributed to championship teams in San Francisco during the 1984 and 1989 seasons, accumulating 410 yards from scrimmage in those Super Bowl wins—ranking him third behind only Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Franco Harris.
Ken Anderson, a four-time Pro Bowler for the Cincinnati Bengals, earned the MVP award in 1981 while leading the Bengals to their first Super Bowl appearance, although they fell to San Francisco. Upon his retirement after the 1986 season, he held the record for sixth-most passing yards in NFL history with 32,838 and was 13th in touchdown throws with 197.
Sterling Sharpe had a brief yet impactful career with the Green Bay Packers from 1988 to 1994, highlighted by a standout season in 1992 when he captured the receiving triple crown and set a record with 108 receptions for 1,461 yards and 13 touchdowns. He exceeded his own record with 112 receptions in 1993 and led the league with 18 touchdown catches during his final season in 1994, before a neck injury curtailed his career.
A three-time All-Pro, Sharpe finished his brief tenure with 595 catches for 8,134 yards and 65 touchdowns, ranking second only to Rice for receptions and touchdown catches over his seven-year career.
Art Powell was a prolific receiver in the American Football League, amassing 81 touchdowns, the second-most in AFL history, and 8,015 receiving yards, placing him third behind only Don Maynard and Hall of Famer Lance Alworth.
Other players advancing in the selection process include Ottis Anderson, Carl Banks, Charlie Conerly, Ox Emerson, Chuck Foreman, Larry Grantham, Lester Hayes, Cecil Isbell, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, Mike Kenn, Bob Kuechenberg, George Kunz, Jim Marshall, Harvey Martin, Clay Matthews Jr., Stanley Morgan, Tommy Nobis, Jim Plunkett, Jim Tyrer, Everson Walls, and Paul “Tank” Younger.