CANTON, Ohio — New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Chicago Bears owner Virginia McCaskey were among the 60 semifinalists announced Wednesday for the 2024 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Kraft has owned the New England Patriots since 1994. His teams have won six Super Bowls, all of them with coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady.
McCaskey, who turned 100 on Jan. 5, became principal owner of the Chicago Bears in 1983 upon the death of her father, Hall of Famer George Halas.
The Hall’s 12-person Seniors Committee trimmed a list of eligible player nominees to 31. Each semifinalist played his last game in professional football no later than 1998.
Separately, the Hall’s 12-person Coach/Contributor Committee reduced the list of nominated candidates to 29 semifinalists.
Two other semifinalists with Patriots ties were also named. Wide receiver Stanley Morgan, who posted the most yards per reception (19.2) in NFL history among players with more than 500 career receptions and made four Pro Bowls in New England Patriots. He is still the team’s all-time leader in receiving yards (10,352). The other semifinalist is Frank “Bucko” Kilroy, who was the Patriots’ general manager from 1979 to 1982 and vice president from 1983 to 1993.
Unlike in February when cornerback Darrelle Revis and offensive lineman Joe Thomas were selected for enshrinement in their first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame, none of the 31 players appears to be a lock for induction.
Two-time winning Super Bowl coaches Tom Coughlin and Mike Shanahan are also semifinalists. Coughlin coached the New York Giants from 2004-15, leading them to Super Bowl victories over the Patriots after the 2007 and ‘11 seasons. Shanahan led the Denver Broncos to Super Bowl titles after the 1997 and ‘98 seasons. He went 178-144 overall with three teams, including a 46-10 mark from 1996-1998, an NFL record for wins in a three-year span.
The respective selection committees now will consider the candidates and will vote to determine 12 finalists from each group. The results of those votes will be announced July 27.
Coach/Contributor Committee members will meet Aug. 15 to select one candidate for final consideration for the next year’s Hall of Fame class.
The Seniors Committee will meet Aug. 22 and may select up to three candidates for final consideration.
Revis, Thomas, Ronde Barber, Chuck Howley, Joe Klecko, Ken Riley, Zach Thomas, DeMarcus Ware and Don Coryell will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 3.