NFL Hall of Fame Class for 2012 Notable for Omissions: Carter, Brown, Reed, Parcells

As normal, the NFL Hall of Fame class for 2012 was announced on Saturday, just ahead of Super Bowl XLVI, and as has been the case for the last few years, one big name was missing from the list: Cris Carter, all-time great WR who played most of his career for the Minnesota Vikings, and was an eight-time Pro Bowler.

The NFL Hall of Fame selection procedure has a limit on the number of players that can be selected for Canton, OH every year. There are to be four to seven inductees selected. This year, there were six.

The six inductees were take from a field of 17 finalists. They include (in alphabetical order) cornerback Jack Butler, offensive lineman Dermontti Dawson, defensive end/linebacker Chris Doleman, defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy, running back Curtis Martin, and offensive lineman Willie Roaf.

Among those omitted were not just Cris Carter, whose had 1,101 receptions, 13,899 receiving yards, and 130 touchdowns during his career, but also Bill Parcells, who won two Super Bowls as the head coach of the New York Giants, as well as leading the New England Patriots to a 1997 Super Bowl appearance; defensive end Charles Haley, who has the most number of Super Bowl rings of any NFL player with five Super Bowl (49ers, Cowboys); and two other highly distinguished wide receivers: Tim Brown and Andre Reed.

The three wide receivers, Carter, Brown and Reed all rank among the top 10 in career receptions in NFL history.

Of those who will enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Jack Butler played nine season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, from 1951-1959. He was a four-time Pro Bowl seledtion, and intercepted 52 passes over his career,

Dermontti Dawson was a six-time First-Team All-Pro selection and a seven-time Pro Bowl selection.

Chris Doleman led the NFL with 21 sacks in 1989 while a member of the Minnesota Vikings. He finished his career with 150, fourth-most in league history. He also played for the Atlanta Falcons, and San Francisco 49ers. He was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and a three-time First Team All-Pro selection.

Cortez Kennedy was the 1992 AP Defensive Player of the Year; that year, he had 14 sacks while playing for the Seattle Seahawks. Kennedy spent his entire 11-year career with Seattle. He was eight-time Pro Bowl selection.

Curtis Martin is one of only two running backs to have rushed for at least 1,000 yards in each of his 10 seasons in the NFL; Barry Sanders --- already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame ---is the other. Martin has the fourth highest total of yards rushing in NFL history, behind only Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton and Sanders. Martin was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (1995) and was selected to the Pro Bowl five times.

Willie Roaf was an 11 time Pro Bowl selection playing for the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs.

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
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