Six-time Super Bowl-winning owner Robert Kraft and trailblazing quarterback Doug Williams were picked among the nine semifinalists in the contributor category for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
The names of the candidates released Wednesday came after a Blue Ribbon committee cut the list down from 25 people. The committee will next meet Nov. 12 to pick one finalist for consideration by the full selection committee for the Hall early next year.
The one contributor will be grouped with one coaching candidate and three seniors candidates. Between one and three of those five finalists will make it to the Hall based on getting at least 80% of the votes from the full committee.
Williams was the first Black starting quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl with Washington in the 1987 season. He later worked in the team’s front office.
“Without Doug, I probably wouldn’t be in this seat. He was a pioneer, trailblazer for all African American quarterbacks to follow after,” Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels said Wednesday. “So that’s awesome for Doug. You know, just him being a mentor to me since I got here, I can’t thank him enough for what he’s done, not only for me, for my family, also. So much respect and love for Doug.”
Kraft bought the New England Patriots in 1994 and quickly turned them into one of the most successful franchises in the NFL. He hired Bill Belichick as coach in 2000 and oversaw the franchise winning six Super Bowl titles from the 2001-2018 seasons.
Three other owners are among the semifinalists, including two who moved their franchises during their tenure.
Art Modell was one of the league’s most influential owners as a longtime chairman of the NFL’s television committee. But he drew ire from fans in Cleveland after he moved his team to Baltimore in 1996.
Bud Adams was the founder of the Houston Oilers and a key figure in the AFL. He eventually moved his franchise to Tennessee and renamed it the Titans.
Ralph Hay owned the Canton Bulldogs from 1918-22 and hosted the meeting the led to the formation of the NFL.
Art Rooney Jr., a member of the family that owns the Steelers, also made the cut.
Among the other candidates are John Wooten, a longtime scout and executive who later became chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance that helped push the NFL to hire more minority head coaches; longtime executives Frank “Bucko” Kilroy; and Seymour Siwoff, the former owner and president of the Elias Sports Bureau.
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