15 hopefuls vying for pro football Hall induction

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two of the best quarterbacks in NFL history are expected to gain entrance into the Pro Football Hall of Fame today. That’s about the only thing certain as more than three dozen football reporters prepare to gather in a room and hammer out the next class of inductees.

Dan Marino and Steve Young head a ballot of 15 Hall hopefuls.

“I don’t think two guys like this have gone in the same year,” said voter Leonard Shapiro of the Washington Post. “These guys are absolute no-brainers.”

The duo marks the most accomplished set of quarterbacks up for Hall of Fame consideration in the same year since Roger Staubach and Joe Namath were inducted in 1985.

Marino retired from the Dolphins after the 1999 season with 4,967 completions, 8,358 passes, 61,361 yards and 420 touchdowns — all NFL records. He played in nine Pro Bowls and won the MVP award in 1984.

Young played in seven Pro Bowls and won the MVP award in 1992 and ‘94. He retired in 1999 with the highest passer rating in league history (96.8).

The full class of Hall of Famers will be announced at 9 a.m. PST today.

The morning meeting should be an interesting one with several players who seem to be on the bubble, including wide receivers Michael Irvin and Art Monk, linebacker Derrick Thomas, former halfback/coach Fritz Pollard and quarterback Bennie Friedman.

Marino, Young, Thomas and Irvin are eligible for the first time.

The voting process is a unique one. For baseball’s hall, about 500 voters are mailed a packet of information and asked to mail back their selections.

Football’s inductees are chosen by a committee of 39 voters. The panel consists of one media representative from each city with an NFL team (two from New York), a 33rd member representing the Pro Football Writers of America and six at-large delegates.

They’ll gather around a table this morning, and 15 journalists will present a case on behalf of the 15 candidates. Usually, the reporter from the market in which a candidate carved his legacy will make the presentation.

After the presentations are made in today’s selection meeting, the panel will narrow the field from 15 down to 10, then to six.

A final vote is taken based on the six finalists, and whichever candidates receive 80 percent support will gain admittance. At least three candidates must be elected, but the total class cannot exceed six.

The induction ceremony is scheduled for Aug. 7 in Canton, Ohio.