Favre among five Hall semifinalists with ties to Vikings, Minnesota

Five men with ties to the Vikings and/or the University of Minnesota are among the 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2016, the Hall announced tonight.

Quarterback Brett Favre, whose illustrious career ended with a two-year stint with the Vikings (2009-10), is one of three first-year eligible candidates. The others are guard Alan Faneca and receiver Terrell Owens.

Joining those three are kicker Morton Andersen, the NFL career scoring leader whose career ended with the Vikings in 2004; long-time 49ers running back Roger Craig, who played for the Vikings in 1992-93; Colts Super Bowl-winning head coach Tony Dungy, who also played quarterback for the Gophers and was a Vikings defensive coordinator; and Broncos linebacker Karl Mecklenburg, a former Gopher.

This is Craig's eighth year as a semifinalist. Mecklenburg is in his fifth year as a semifinalist, while Andersen is in his fourth year and Dungy in his third year.

Besides the three first-year eligible players, two other players — tackle Tony Boselli and linebacker Sam Mills — are semifinalists for the first time.

The group of semifinalists includes 22 players (15 offense, 6 on defense and 1 special teams) and three coaches.

Here is the complete list of modern-era semifinalists:

2. Steve Atwater, S – 1989-1998 Denver Broncos, 1999 New York Jets | (Times as a Semifinalist: 5 – 2012-16)

3. Tony Boselli, T – 1995-2001 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2002 Houston Texans (injured reserve) | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2016)

4. Isaac Bruce, WR – 1994-2007 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 2008-09 San Francisco 49ers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

5. Don Coryell, Coach – 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 8 – 2005, 2010-16)

6. Roger Craig, RB – 1983-1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-93 Minnesota Vikings | (Times as a Semifinalist: 8 – 2009-16)

8. Tony Dungy, Coach – 1996-2001 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2002-08 Indianapolis Colts | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2014-16)

9. Alan Faneca, G – 1998-2007 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2008-09 New York Jets, 2010 Arizona Cardinals | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2016)

10. Brett Favre, QB – 1991 Atlanta Falcons, 1992-2007 Green Bay Packers, 2008 New York Jets, 2009-2010 Minnesota Vikings | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2016)

11. Kevin Greene, LB/DE – 1985-1992 Los Angeles Rams, 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 10 – 2007-2016)

12. Marvin Harrison, WR – 1996-2008 Indianapolis Colts | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2014-16)

14. Joe Jacoby, T – 1981-1993 Washington Redskins | (Times as a Semifinalist: 6 – 2005, 2008, 2013-16)

15. Edgerrin James, RB – 1999-2005 Indianapolis Colts, 2006-08 Arizona Cardinals, 2009 Seattle Seahawks | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

16. Jimmy Johnson, Coach – 1989-1993 Dallas Cowboys, 1996-99 Miami Dolphins | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2014-16)

17. Mike Kenn, T – 1978-1994 Atlanta Falcons | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

18. Ty Law, CB – 1995-2004 New England Patriots, 2005, 2008 New York Jets, 2006-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2009 Denver Broncos | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

20. Kevin Mawae, C/G – 1994-97 Seattle Seahawks, 1998-2005 New York Jets, 2006-09 Tennessee Titans | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

21. Karl Mecklenburg, LB – 1983-1994 Denver Broncos | (Times as a Semifinalist: 5 – 2012-16)

22. Sam Mills, LB – 1986-1994 New Orleans Saints, 1995-97 Carolina Panthers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2016)

23. Terrell Owens, WR – 1996-2003 San Francisco 49ers, 2004-05 Philadelphia Eagles, 2006-08 Dallas Cowboys, 2009 Buffalo Bills, 2010 Cincinnati Bengals | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2016)

24. Orlando Pace, T – 1997-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Chicago Bears | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)