News

Actions

3 Broncos finalists for Hall of Fame shut out

Posted at 7:09 PM, Feb 06, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-06 23:41:37-05

Three Denver Broncos selected as finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame were shut out when the class of 2016 was announced.

Terrell Davis, Steve Atwater and John Lynch made the list of 15 finalists, but were not among the final players chosen.

The Hall of Fame selection committee chose five Modern-Era players:

  1. Tony Dungy, Coach
  2. Brett Favre, Quarterback
  3. Kevin Greene, Linebacker/Defensive End
  4. Marvin Harrison, Wide Receiver
  5. Orlando Pace, Tackle

Three other class members were chosen earlier this year.

Quarterback Ken Stabler and guard Dick Stanfel were Senior Finalists, players whose careers ended more than 25 years ago. The Hall of Fame also nominated 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo, Jr. as a Contributor Finalist, a person who made outstanding contributions to professional football other than players and coaches.

The final eight will be enshrined in May.

Terrell Davis

This was Davis' third time being nominated. He was a Super Bowl MVP and no one disputes how valuable he was to the Broncos during his career, but some apparently feel he didn't play long enough.

Davis was excited, but knew he might not make it in.

"I'm excited about the possibility of it happening," Davis said earlier this week. "But I also have to be prepared for if it doesn't happen."

Davis said he would be disappointed if he wasn't named to the Hall of Fame.

John Lynch

Lynch played 15 seasons in the NFL and was a Pro Bowler nine times.

Lynch won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 2002 championship team.

According to the Buccaneers, Lynch is the only Hall of Fame eligible player with nine NFL Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl ring who is not in the Hall of Fame.

Steve Atwater

The NFL.com calls Atwater the 9th most feared tackle of all time.

"He made some of the best plays I've ever seen a safety make," former Broncos head coach Dan Reeves said.

Atwater's nickname? The Smiling Assassin.

Atwater played 10 seasons with the Broncos and one with the Jets before retiring.

Hall of Fame

The Broncos have six players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- Willie Brown (1963-1966), Tony Dorsett (1988), John Elway (1983-1998), Floyd Little (1967-1975), Shannon Sharpe (1990-99, 2002-03) and Gary Zimmerman (1993-1997).

Find out how many numbers the Broncos have retired and test your Broncos knowledge here.

---------

Sign up for Denver7 email alerts to stay informed about breaking news and daily headlines.

Or, keep up-to-date by following Denver7 on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.