Alan Faneca and Hines Ward named semifinalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021
(Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced their 25 semifinalists today and two former Steelers are on the list. Guard Alan Faneca and wide receiver Hines Ward are both semifinalists for the Class of 2021. Faneca is a semifinalist for the sixth time and Ward is a semifinalist for the fifth time. Faneca has been a finalist in the last five years.
Eighteen finalists will be presented to the full 48-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee during its annual meeting on "Selection Saturday," the day before Super Bowl LV. The finalists will consist of 15 modern-era finalists and the recently named senior finalist, Drew Pearson; contributor finalist, Bill Nunn; and coach finalist, Tom Flores.
Nunn was selected as the Contributor Finalist for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2021, which was announced in August.
The Steelers have three members in the Centennial Class of 2020 -- Bill Cowher, Troy Polamalu and Donnie Shell. All three were to have been enshrined in August, but that ceremony will now take place in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2021 Hall of Fame Weekend will take place Aug. 5-8, 2021 in Canton, Ohio. The Steelers will play in the Hall of Fame game on Thursday, Aug. 5, against the Dallas Cowboys after the 2020 game was canceled. The Class of 2020 will be enshrined on Saturday, Aug. 7 and the Class of 2021 on Sunday, Aug. 8.
Faneca is a nine-time Pro Bowler and was named first-team All-Pro six times and was a part of the Steelers' Super Bowl XL team. All six of Faneca's All-Pro nominations came when he played with the Steelers and seven of his nine Pro Bowl selections happened when he was in Pittsburgh. In 2008 and 2009, he was named as a Pro Bowler with the New York Jets. Faneca is on the Steelers' All-Time Team and was named to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team.
Hines Ward played all 14 of his seasons in the NFL with the Steelers and was a four-time Pro Bowler and was named second-team All-Pro three times. Ward is also a two-time Super Bowl champion and was named MVP in Super Bowl XL. Ward is also on the Steelers' All-Time Team. Ward had 1,000 receptions for 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns in his career, which are all franchise records. Ward had 88 receptions for 1,181 yards and 10 touchdowns in 18 career playoff games.