Sterling Sharpe inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame

(NFL Hall of Fame Four of the “Greatest of the Game” have been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025. The Hall’s 49-person Selection Committee met virtually in January to conduct its annual vote.The Class of 2025, presented by Visual Edge IT, was announced during “NFL Honors, presented by Invisalign,” a two-hour primetime awards special that aired nationally tonight on NFL Network and FOX and streamed on NFL+. The newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame are defensive back ERIC ALLEN, defensive end JARED ALLEN, tight end ANTONIO GATES and wide receiver STERLING SHARPE.Sterling Sharpe and SHANNON SHARPE become the first brothers elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Three father-son tandems are enshrined: TIM and WELLINGTON MARA, ART SR. and DAN ROONEY, andED and STEVE SABOL.While a class of four is the smallest since 2005, that number has not been uncommon. This is the 19th time in the Hall of Fame’s history a class has been composed of three or four enshrinees since the first four-person class was chosen in 1970.Eric Allen and Jared Allen learned of their election when another Hall of Famer knocked on the door of their homes. Gates and Sharpe experienced a “reverse knock” – showing up at a site where a Hall of Famer was waiting to deliver the news. Those four encounters can be seen Saturday, Feb. 8, when NFL Network debuts a 30-minute special “The Hall of Fame Knocks: Class of 2025” at 10 p.m. ET.The Hall of Famers who delivered the news to the new class members were: RANDALL McDANIEL, a college teammate of Eric Allen’s STEVE HUTCHINSON, a pro teammate of Jared Allen’s LaDAINIAN TOMLINSON, a pro teammate of Antonio Gates’ SHANNON SHARPE, brother of Sterling SharpeThe annual selection meeting capped the lengthy 2025 selection process. The newly elected Hall of Famers were chosen from a list of 20 Finalists that had been determined over the past several months by the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee and three smaller committees that narrowed the respective lists in the separate Coach, Contributor and Seniors categories. This final step in the selection process for the Class of 2025 was completed with oversight from the firm Ernst & Young LLP, a Hall partner since 2019. EY’s Agreed-Upon Procedures included validating the completeness of the ballots and tabulating the ballots in accordance with the bylaws established by the Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors.The Hall of Fame’s membership, including the newly elected class, now stands at 382. The Class of 2025, presented by Visual Edge IT, will be enshrined Saturday, Aug. 2, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. Enshrinement tickets will go on sale in the coming weeks. Weekend packages are available now from On Location. (See below for more information).PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2025ERIC ALLENTimes as Finalist: 2 | Year of Eligibility: 19Position: CornerbackHt: 5-10, Wt: 184NFL Career: 1988-1994 Philadelphia Eagles, 1995-97 New Orleans Saints, 1998-2001 Oakland Raiders Seasons: 14, Games: 217College: Arizona StateDrafted: 2nd Round (30th Overall), 1988Born: Nov. 22, 1965, in San DiegoSelected in second round (30th pick overall) of the 1988 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles … Made immediate impact as rookie, totaling five interceptions to earn a spot on the PFWA’s All-Rookie Team … Followed up with an eight-interception season in 1989 and was recognized with first-team All-Pro honors and a spot on Pro Bowl roster … Intercepted at least three passes in each of his first seven seasons and 10 times in 14-year career … Led NFL with four pick-sixes in 1993 season … After seven seasons in Philadelphia, he spent three years in New Orleans, then finished career with four seasons in Oakland … Led team (or shared lead) in interceptions seven times – four with Eagles and three with Raiders … Totaled 54 interceptions overall … Returned eight interceptions for touchdowns in his career … Chosen to play in six Pro Bowls … Named to Philadelphia Eagles 75th Anniversary Team in 2007 and inducted into team’s Hall of Fame in 2011. JARED ALLENTimes as Finalist: 5 | Year of Eligibility: 5Position: Defensive EndHt: 6-6, Wt: 270NFL Career: 2004-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2008-2013 Minnesota Vikings,2014-15 Chicago Bears, 2015 Carolina PanthersSeasons: 12, Games: 187College: Idaho StateDrafted: 4th Round (126th Overall), 2004Born: April 3, 1982, in DallasBuck Buchanan Award winner and Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year out of Idaho State … Fourth-round draft pick (126th overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs … 12-year NFL career, started 181 of 187 career games … Member of the Carolina Panthers’ 2015 NFC championship team … Started in Super Bowl 50; contributed one tackle and one QB hit … Led the NFL in sacks twice (2007, 2011) … 2007 Kansas City Chiefs Team MVP … NFL Alumni Player of the Year, 2009 … Career stats: six interceptions, a fumble recovery for TD, 58 passes defensed and 136 sacks … Tied NFL record for career safeties with four … Five Pro Bowl nods … Named first-team All-Pro four times (2007-09, 2011). ANTONIO GATESTimes as Finalist: 2 | Year of Eligibility: 2Position: Tight EndHt: 6-4, Wt: 255NFL Career: 2003-2018 San Diego/Los Angeles ChargersSeasons: 16, Games: 236College: Kent StateDrafted: Undrafted, 2003Born: June 18, 1980, in DetroitPlayed in 15 games during rookie season after going undrafted in 2003 with San Diego Chargers … In second season, had career-high 13 receiving touchdowns … Known for being a clutch player, totaling 39 touchdowns on third down, third most (tied) all-time … 116 career receiving touchdowns are most among tight ends and seventh most all-time … Finished career setting Chargers all-time marks in receptions, yards and touchdowns … Eight seasons with eight-plus receiving touchdowns, the most ever by a tight end … His 21 career multi-touchdown games are most all-time among tight ends … Career totals: 955 receptions, 11,841 yards and 116 touchdowns … Elected to eight consecutive Pro Bowls (2004-2011) … Earned first-team All-Pro honors in three seasons (2004-06), second-team twice (2009, 2010) … Member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s. STERLING SHARPETimes as Finalist: 1 | Year of eligibility: 26Position: Wide ReceiverHt: 6-0, Wt: 207NFL Career: 1988-1994 Green Bay PackersSeasons: 7, Games: 112College: South CarolinaDrafted: 1st Round (7th overall), 1988Born: April 6, 1965, in ChicagoIn his second NFL season (1989), led the league in single-season receptions (90) and would again set the standard in 1992 and 1993 … During the 1992 campaign, set the NFL record for catches in a season (108) and toppled his own record the next season (112) … Surpassed 1,000 receiving yards five times … League-leading 1,461 receiving yards and average yards receiving per game (91.3) in 1992 … Scored the most touchdowns (13) in the NFL in 1992 and in 1994 (18) … At the time of his retirement, held seven Packers’ regular-season receiving records and was tied for three additional … Owned three Green Bay postseason records, including most points in a game (18) against Detroit in 1993 … First-team All-Pro three times (1989, 1992-93) … Selected to five Pro Bowls … Member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s.Photos for the Class of 2025 can be found here.SELECTION PROCESSEric Allen, Jared Allen and Antonio Gates were elected from the Modern-Era Players pool of candidates that this cycle began with 167 nominees who last played professional football in the 2019 season. That list was reduced three times (to 50 nominees, 25 Semifinalists and 15 Finalists) before the annual selection meeting.The other Finalists this year were Willie Anderson, Jahri Evans, Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly, Eli Manning, Steve Smith Sr., Terrell Suggs, Fred Taylor, Adam Vinatieri, Reggie Wayne, Darren Woodson and Marshal Yanda.During the selection meeting, the list of 15 Finalists was cut to 10, then to 7 before the final vote. In that final vote, a maximum of five and minimum of three individuals could have been elected to the new class, each needing 80% approval from the selectors, who could cast a ballot for five of the remaining seven. By reaching the final 7 but not getting elected (falling short of 80% approval), Anderson, Holt, Kuechlyand Vinatieri will advance automatically to the Finalist stage (15 remaining) for the Class of 2026 under the Hall of Fame’s bylaws for the selection process.Sterling Sharpe was elected from a second pool of five candidates that included the Finalists chosen by the Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee (Sharpe, Maxie Baughan and Jim Tyrer), Coach Blue-Ribbon Committee (Mike Holmgren) and Contributor Blue-Ribbon Committee (Ralph Hay). Under the Hall’s bylaws, from one to three individuals could have been elected from this group; only Sharpe reached the required voting threshold. ENSHRINEMENT WEEKThe Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 will be enshrined in Canton in August. (Dates below remain tentative until formalized with the League’s upcoming annual calendar.)The 2025 Enshrinement Week will include: Thursday, July 31: Hall of Fame Game (teams to be determined) Friday, Aug. 1: Enshrinees’ Gold Jacket Dinner Saturday, Aug. 2: Class of 2025 Enshrinement Sunday, Aug. 3: Concert for Legends (acts to be determined)