CANTON, ohio — It was a tough day for Broncos’ Hall of Fame hopefuls.
Terrell Davis, Steve Atwater and Karl Mecklenburg, who all made it to the semifinal round of 26 modern-era candidates, did not make the cut Saturday to 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2012.
It was especially disappointing that Davis didn’t make it to the next round because he has been a four-time semifinalist who has never been a finalist.
Atwater and Mecklenburg were semifinalists for the first time.
Bill Parcells, meanwhile, moved one step closer to Canton.
Wide receivers Tim Brown, Cris Carter and Andre Reed, running backs Jerome Bettis and Curtis Martin and former Kansas City Chiefs guard Will Shields also made the cut when the 26 semifinalists were pared down through a mail ballot. The final list of candidates also includes two senior nominees: former Steelers defensive back Jack Butler and former Lions guard Dick Stanfel.
The Hall’s selection committee meets in Indianapolis next month. A finalist must receive 80 percent of the vote to be selected.
Between four and seven enshrinees will be announced the day before the Super Bowl on Feb. 5, and inducted in August in the Hall’s 50th class.
Parcells and Shields were the only candidates to make the list of finalists in their first year of eligibility.
Parcells is considered a first-year candidate under new requirements that were put in place in 2008, after he had been a nominee in 2001 and 2002. The new rule makes it mandatory for coaches, like players, to be retired for five consecutive seasons. Before that, coaches were eligible immediately upon retirement.
Parcells won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants in 1987 and 1991, then coached the Patriots and Jets before retiring in 1999. He returned to coach the Cowboys in 2003.
Bettis ranks sixth on the NFL rushing list with 13,662 yards in 13 seasons, three for the Rams and a decade with the Steelers, with whom he won the 2006 Super Bowl in his final game. Martin ranks fourth with 14,101 yards with the Patriots and Jets from 1995-2005.
One more step
Seventeen finalists for the 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame class:
RB Jerome Bettis: 1993-95 L.A./St. Louis Rams, 1996-2005 Steelers
WR Tim Brown: 1988-2003 L.A./Oakland Raiders, 2004 Buccaneers
*CB Jack Butler: 1951-59 Steelers
WR Cris Carter: 1987-89 Eagles, 1990-2001 Vikings, 2002 Dolphins
C Dermontti Dawson: 1988-2000 Steelers
Owner Edward DeBartolo, Jr.: 1977-2000 49ers
DE/LB Chris Doleman: 1985-93, 1999 Vikings, 1994-95 Falcons, 1996-98 49ers
LB/DE Kevin Greene: 1985-92 L.A. Rams, 1993-95 Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Panthers, 1997 49ers
DE/LB Charles Haley: 1986-91, 1999 49ers, 1992-96 Cowboys
DT Cortez Kennedy: 1990-2000 Seahawks
RB Curtis Martin: 1995-97 Patriots, 1998-2005 Jets
Coach Bill Parcells: 1983-90 Giants, 1993-96 Patriots, 1997-99 Jets, 2003-06 Cowboys
WR Andre Reed: 1985-99 Bills, 2000 Redskins
OT Willie Roaf: 1993-2001 Saints, 2002-05 Chiefs
G Will Shields: 1993-2006 Chiefs
*G Dick Stanfel: 1952-55 Lions, 1956-58 Redskins
CB/S Aeneas Williams: 1991-2000 Cardinals, 2001-04 Rams
*Senior Committee nominee
