The Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee bypassed former Pittsburgh Steelers players Hines Ward and James Harrison once again.
Neither Ward nor Harrison made the cut to 15 finalists that the Hall of Fame announced Saturday.
Ward made the list of 25 semifinalists for the ninth time, and Harrison reached the semifinal stage for the third time. Ward retired after the 2011 season, and Harrison played for the last time in 2017.
Ward is the franchise’s career receptions leader with 1,000, and he was the Super Bowl XL most valuable player. Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown before halftime of Super Bowl XLIII was a pivotal moment in the team’s sixth championship.
Also missing the cut to 15 finalists was former Penn State offensive lineman Steve Wisniewski.
Five finalists are in their first year of eligibility, and nine reached this stage of the process last year. The selection committee will be selecting up to five modern-era players for the Class of 2025 when they meet prior to the Super Bowl.
The Hall of Fame newcomers will be announced during the pre-Super Bowl festivities.
The first-time finalists are Luke Kuechly, Eli Manning, Terrell Suggs, Adam Vinatieri and Marshall Yanda. Steve Smith Sr. also reached the finals for the first time in his fourth year of eligibility. Fred Taylor, Jahri Evans, Eric Allen and Antonio Gates are finalists for the second time. Darren Woodson reached the finals for the third time. The other finalists are Willie Anderson (fourth time), Jared Allen (fifth), Torry Holt (sixth) and Reggie Wayne (sixth).
Joe Rutter is a TribLive reporter who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since the 2016 season. A graduate of Greensburg Salem High School and Point Park, he is in his fifth decade covering sports for the Trib. He can be reached at jrutter@triblive.com.
