IRVING, Texas --Former Cowboys defensive end Charles Haley and head coach Bill Parcells are among 15 modern-era finalists for the 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
The full finalist list is 17 with the inclusion of two recommended candidates of the Hall of Fame's Seniors Committee, Jack Butler and Dick Stanfel.
Parcells, the Cowboys' head coach from 2003-06, joins guard Will Shields as one of two first-year eligible candidates. Parcells has been a finalist twice before (2001, 2002) following his retirement as Jets head coach in 1999, but at the time, the Hall of Fame by-laws did not require a coach to be retired the now mandatory five seasons.
Parcells won two Super Bowls with the Giants (1986 and 1990) and compiled a 34-32 record with the Cowboys, becoming the first head coach in NFL history to lead four different teams to the playoffs (Giants, Patriots, Jets, Cowboys).
Haley won an NFL player-record five Super Bowls in 13 NFL seasons -- two with the San Francisco 49ers from 1986-91 and three with the Cowboys from 1992-96. He finished with 100.5 career sacks and was inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor last November.
The Selection Committee will elect the 2012 Class on Feb. 4 in Indianapolis, the site of Super Bowl XLVI.
Although there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the Pro Football Hall of Fame's current ground rules stipulate that between four and seven new members will be selected each year. No more than five modern-era nominees can be elected in a given year and a class of six or seven can only be achieved if one or both senior nominees are elected.
The complete list of 17 finalists, courtesy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
- Jack Butler – CB – 1951-59 Pittsburgh Steelers * Cris Carter,*WR – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins *Dermontti Dawson, C – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers *Edward DeBartolo, Jr., Owner – 1979-2000 San Francisco 49ers *Chris Doleman, DE/LB – 1985-1993, 1999 Minnesota Vikings, 1994-95 Atlanta Falcons, 1996-98 San Francisco 49ers *Kevin Greene, LB/DE – 1985-1992 Los Angeles Rams, 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers *Charles Haley, DE/LB – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys *Cortez Kennedy, DT – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks *Curtis Martin, RB – 1995-97 New England Patriots, 1998-2005 New York Jets Bill Parcells, *Coach – 1983-1990 New York Giants, 1993-96 New England Patriots, 1997-99 New York Jets, 2003-06 Dallas Cowboys *Andre Reed, WR – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins *Willie Roaf, T – 1993-2001 New Orleans Saints, 2002-05 Kansas City Chiefs *Will Shields, G – 1993-2006 Kansas City Chiefs *Dick Stanfel– G, 1952-55 Detroit Lions, 1956-58 Washington Redskins *Aeneas Williams, CB/S – 1991-2000 Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, 2001-04 St. Louis Rams *
