The NFL Hall of Fame RELEASED it's preliminary nominees for the Hall Of Fame Class of '07 today, and among the 111 former coaches, players and contributers on the list were 6 former Broncos.
New to the list this season is 3-Time Pro Bowler TERRELL DAVIS('95-'01), one of 4 players in history to rush for 2000 yards in a single season.
The other Broncos on the list include --
7-Time Pro Bowler, LB Randy Gradishar('74-'83)
6-Time Pro Bowler LB Karl Mecklenburg('83-'94)
5-Time Pro Bowler CB Louis Wright('75-'86)
7-Time Pro Bowler OT Gary Zimmerman('93-'97)
8-Time Pro Bowler S Steve Atwater('89-'99)
Also on the list is former Head Coach Dan Reeves('81-'92), who compiled over 200 victories in his coaching career.
The rest of the list can be found HERE.
This year marks the first time that the finalists list will number 17. Prior to this year, the finalist list was limited to 15 nominees, 13 modern-era and two senior candidates.
The Class of 2007 nominee list will be reduced to 25 next month, and will eventually be selected from the list of 17 finalists. The actual voting will be conducted at the Hall of Fame Selection Committee's annual meeting, which will be held on Saturday, February 3, 2007, in Miami, Florida, the day before Super Bowl XLI. The election results will be announced immediately after the meeting at a press conference in the media headquarters. While there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the ground rules provide that between three and six new members will be selected.
Other first-year eligible candidates for the Class of 2007 include quarterback Randall Cunningham, running back Ricky Watters, guards Randall McDaniel, Steve Wisniewski and Bruce Mathews, center Mark Stepnoski, and defensive backs Eric Allen, LeRoy Butler, and Carnell Lake.
Let's just say I hope this is the year that Randy Gradishar gets his just due from the Hall. As successful as this team has been for the past 30 years it is a crime that there is only one Bronco currently in the hall. Gradishar was as dominating a Linebacker as there was in his time and to keep overlooking what he was able to accomplish is a travesty. Most people thought Gary Zimmerman would beat John Elway into the hall, but he also has been over-looked. I hope this is the year for Zim as well.
[editor's note, by TheSportsGuru]Thanks to SD Bronco for pointing out a huge oversight on my part. How could I forget Steve Atwater??? He definitely deserves to get in, for the hit he put on the Nigerian Nutbag alone. I'd post the video here, but it's been removed from YouTube! Thanks SD!