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The Pro Football Hall of Fame is technically the National Football League's Hall of Fame. The building opened in Canton, Ohio, United States, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees. Through 2006, all but one of the inductees played some part of their pro career in the NFL. The lone exception is Buffalo Bills guard Billy Shaw, who played his entire career in the American Football League. Canton was primarily selected as the location for the Hall of Fame because:
Selection process Enshrinees are selected by a 39-member committee, largely made up of sportswriters, officially known as the Board of Selectors. Nine members serve as a subcommittee known as the Seniors Committee to screen candidates who finished their careers 25 or more years prior. The Board screens a list of modern era candidates by mail balloting down to a list of 15 finalists. The Seniors Committee then adds two finalists from prior to the modern era, making a final ballot of 17. Given its rigorous and heavily selective selection process, induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is widely considered the highest honor that can be bestowed on a former NFL player and members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame generally are considered the best NFL players to ever have played the game. The Board meets the day before each Super Bowl game to elect a new class. To be elected, a nominee must receive at least 80 percent support from the Board, with at least three, but no more than six, candidates being elected annually. The only restriction is that a player must have been retired at least five years and a coach must be retired. Any other contributor such as a team owner or executive can be elected at any time. The induction ceremonies are held in late July or early August. A community festival is held throughout the week in Canton leading up to the induction ceremonies. Also, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, an annual NFL pre-season exhibition game, is held a few days after the induction ceremonies. Enshrinees do not go into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of a certain team. Rather, every team that an inductee had played or worked for is listed equally. While the Baseball Hall of Fame plaques depict each of their inductees wearing a particular club's cap, the bust sculptures of each Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee makes no reference to any specific team. Board of Selectors The Board consists of one media representative from each NFL city, with two from New York (as two NFL teams play there). There are also six at-large delegates and one representative from the Pro Football Writers of America. Except for the PFWA representative, who is appointed to a two-year term, all other appointments are open-ended and terminated only be retirement or resignation. Inductees Inductees into the hall of fame are listed below. Each entry includes the year of induction, teams each was associated with and the years. Where applicable, non-players are indicated as such. Players, Coaches, and Team Executives
NOTE: As of 2006, three current NFL teams are not represented by an enshrinee. They are the Baltimore Ravens, the Houston Texans, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Carolina Panthers were previously unrepresented, but with Reggie White being selected to the class of 2006 (having played his final season with the Panthers), they are now represented in the Hall. On a similar note, the Atlanta Falcons also are technically represented due to two players (Eric Dickerson and Tommy McDonald) spending minor portions of their career with the team (1993 and 1967, respectively). * Contributors
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