Hall of Fame Finalists from 1971 through 1998

 By John Turney 

This is an updated version of a post from earlier this month. Since then Steve Hartman has provided further information and corrected for some errors.

Hartman is an award-winning sportscaster and writer who covered Super Bowls, Final Fours and MLB All-Star games. He was one of the "Loose Cannons" a fixture of Southern California radio for decades.

Dave Anderson, a writer/columnist for the New York Times, was a long-time Hall-of-Fame voter. He is the original source for players who were close to election but ultimately fell short in the given years.

He kept notes over his time on the committee and eventually shared them with Steve Hartman who also found a handful of players who survived the cut from 15 to 10. In several years there were ties in teh voting and there would be a Final 11, not a Final 10.

The Hall of Fame process is that active players would be voted on and the top 14 would make the finalist list. An additional slot was for a player who emerged from the senior committee making it a Final 15.

That group of 15 was then narrowed to ten. And then from ten to six (early years it was five) with the senior candidate automatically in the final seven.

Those seven were then voted on with a "yes" or "no". Players who received 80 percent or more were elected to the Hall and in the Summer, induction in Canton.

These were his findings. 

Players known to have survived the cut from the Final 15 to ten (or eleven) and noted if they were a finalist.  A "Finalist" is someone who got to the yes/no stage of the voting and did not get the required 80 percent needed for election.

Senior candidates make it to the final  (yes-no?) round automatically and are not included in the "Final 10" (or eleven).

pre-1971

no information currently known

1972

Dante Lavelli—Finalist, not elected

Joe Schmidt—Finalist, not elected

1973

Lou Groza—Finalist, not elected

Ole Haugsrud—Finalist, not elected, Senior Candidate—Never inducted

“Night Train” Lane—Finalist, not elected

Tony Morabito—Finalist, not elected—Never inducted

1974

Roosevelt Brown—Finalist, not elected

Dante Lavelli—Finalist, not elected

Jim Taylor—Finalist, not elected

1975

Jim Ringo—Finalist, not elected

Clark Shaughnessy—Finalist, not elected—Never inducted

1976

Willie Davis—Finalist, not elected

Weeb Ewbank—Finalist, not elected

Jim Ringo—Finalist, not elected

1977

Weeb Ewbank—Finalist, not elected

1978

Charley Conerly—Finalist, not elected—Never inducted

1979

Marshall Goldberg—Finalist, not elected, Senior Candidate—Never inducted

Paul Hornung—Finalist, not elected

Pete Rozelle—Finalist, not elected

1980

Lou Creekmur—Finalist, not elected, Senior Candidate

Paul Hornung—Finalist, not elected

Don Maynard—Finalist, not elected

1981

Doug Atkins—Finalist, not elected

Pete Rozelle—Finalist, not elected

1982

Sid Gillman—Finalist, not elected

Pete Rozelle—Finalist, not elected

1983

Joe Namath—Finalist, not elected

Mac Speedie—Finalist, not elected, Senior Candidate

Gene Hickerson—Made final ten

Paul Hornung—Made final ten

John Henry Johnson—Made final ten

Pete Rozelle—Made final ten

1984

Fran Tarkenton—Finalist, not elected

Joe Namath—Finalist, not elected

Willie Lanier—Finalist, not elected

1985

Paul Hornung—Finalist, not elected

Fran Tarkenton—Finalist, not elected

1986

Len Dawson—Finalist, not elected

Don Maynard—Finalist, not elected

Larry Csonka—Made final eleven

Al Davis—Made final eleven

Tom Mack—Made final eleven

*Missing the fourth member of the final eleven

1987

All seven finalists elected

Fred Biletnikoff—Made final ten

Al Davis—Made final ten

Bob Griese—Made final ten

Alan Page—Made final ten

1988

Bob Griese—Finalist, not elected

Lou Rymkus—Finalist, not elected, Senior Candidate—Never inducted

Art Shell—Finalist, not elected

George Allen—Made final ten

Al Davis—Made final ten

Bud Grant—Made final ten

*Missing the fourth member of the final ten

1989

Bob Griese—Finalist, not elected

Ted Hendricks—Finalist, not elected

Henry Jordan—Finalist, not elected, Senior Candidate

Al Davis—Made final ten

Bud Grant—Made final ten
Tom Mack—Made final ten

*Missing the fourth member of the final ten

1990

Class of seven, a tie for the top 10

Al Davis—Made final eleven

Dan Deirdorf—Made final eleven

Larry Little—Made final eleven

Ron Yary—Made final eleven

1991

Al Davis—Finalist, not elected

John Mackey—Finalist, not elected

Lem Barney—Made final eleven

Bob Brown—Made final eleven

Carl Eller—Made final eleven

LC Greenwood—Made final eleven

John Riggins—Made final eleven

1992

Willie Galimore—Finalist, not elected, Senior Candidate—Never inducted

Charlie Joiner—Finalist, not elected

Tom Mack—Finalist, not elected

Bob Brown—Made final ten

Dan Deirdorf—Made final ten

Carl Eller—Made final team  

Bud Grant—Made final ten

1993

Jackie Smith—Finalist, not elected

Dick Stanfel—Finalist, not elected, Senior Candidate

Bob Brown—Made final ten

Charlie Joiner—Made final ten

Mel Renfro—Made final ten

Dwight Stephenson—Made final ten

1994

Dan Dierdorf—Finalist, not elected

Carl Eller—Made final ten

Charlie Jouner—Made final ten

Tom Mack—Made final ten

Mel Renfro—Made final ten

1995

Dan Dierdorf—Finalist, not elected

Dwight Stephenson—Finalist, not elected

L.C. Greenwood—Made final ten

Mike Haynes—Made final ten

Charlie Joiner—Made final ten

Mel Renfro—Made final ten

1996

Mike Haynes—Finalist, not elected

Dwight Stephenson—Finalist, not elected

Tom Mack—Made final ten

Lynn Swann—Made final ten

Mike Webster—Made final ten

Jack Youngblood—Made final ten

1997

Jerry Kramer—Finalist, not elected, Senior Candidate

Dwight Stephenson—Finalist, not elected

Lynn Swann—Finalist, not elected

Carl Eller—Made final ten

Paul Krause—Made final ten

Ozzie Newsome—Made final ten

John Stallworth—Made final ten

1998

Ozzie Newsome—Finalist, not elected

Dan Rooney—Finalist, not elected

George Allen—Made final eleven

Carl Eller—Made final eleven

Tom Mack—Made final eleven

John Stallworth—Made final eleven

Jack Youngblood—Made final eleven

The Hall of Fame has published this data from 1999 to the present.