Former Vikings Jim Marshall and Chuck Foreman have been eliminated from consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025.
Former Vikings Jim Marshall and Chuck Foreman fall short again in Hall of Fame bids
Ralph Hay, Mike Holmgren, Maxie Baughan, Sterling Sharpe and Jim Tyrer make the cut in contributor, coach and seniors categories.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
December 4, 2024 at 5:50AM
The Hall of Fame announced Tuesday morning the five individuals who have advanced as finalists in the seniors, coach and contributor categories. Marshall and Foreman had made the cut to 31 in the seniors category, which includes players who last appeared in a game in 1999.
Moving to within one step of the Class of 2025 are Ralph Hay — the former Canton Bulldogs owner (1918-22) and a founding father of the NFL — in the contributor category; Packers Super Bowl-winning coach Mike Holmgren in the coach category; and linebacker Maxie Baughan, receiver Sterling Sharpe and offensive tackle Jim Tyrer in the seniors category.
Marshall and Foreman also fell short of the list of nine semifinalists in the seniors category. The other six semifinalists were Ken Anderson, Lester Hayes, Bob Kuechenberg, Albert Lewis, Stanley Morgan and Al Wistert.
The last hurdle for the five finalists is approval from at least 80% of the hall’s full selection committee at its annual meeting in January.
For the first time, the finalists from these three categories will compete against one another. Each member of the selection committee may vote for only three of the five. A maximum of three can be elected. If none of the five receives at least 80% approval, the one who receives the most support would be elected to the Class of 2025.
A closer look at the senior finalists and the Vikings who fell short:
- Baughan, an outside linebacker, played from 1960 to 1970, then came out of retirement in 1974 to play for George Allen in Washington. A nine-time Pro-Bowler, Baughan won an NFL Championship with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he played from 1960 to 1965 before joining the Los Angeles Rams (1966-1970).
- Sharpe was a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro during a seven-year career (1988-94) with the Green Bay Packers that was cut short by a neck injury. His career totals include 595 receptions for 8,134 yards and 65 touchdowns.
- Tyrer, a member of the Chiefs team that beat the Vikings in Super Bowl IV, was considered one of the dominant offensive tackles of the 1960s and ‘70s. He was selected as a member of the AFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1960s and played in nine AFL All-Star Games in a career that spanned 13 years with the Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs (1961-1973) and one season in Washington (1974).
- Marshall, 86, defined the term “NFL ironman” during a 20-year career (1960-79) in which he played the final 19 as an original member of the Vikings. The defensive end’s 289 consecutive games started, including playoffs, is second all-time behind Brett Favre’s 321. Marshall’s 301 consecutive games played, including playoffs, is third behind punter Jeff Feagles (363) and Favre (323).
- Foreman, 74, was NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1973 and a dual-threat running back who was ahead of his time. He played seven seasons with the Vikings and a final year in New England. He led the NFL in receptions in 1975 (73), touchdowns from scrimmage in 1974 (15) and 1976 (14) and total touchdowns from 1974-76 (51).
The Hall of Fame\s full selection committee is in the process of trimming the 25 modern-era finalists to 15. Former Viking Jared Allen is expected to become a finalist for the fifth consecutive year.
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