AFL superstar and Raiders legend Art Powell has been named a Senior Finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
Powell was selected as one of three Senior candidates, along with linebacker Randy Gradishar and defensive tackle Steve McMichael.
Powell entered into the NFL as a defensive back before converting over to receiver with the New York Titans. After signing with the Raiders in 1963, Powell caught 254 receptions for 4,491 receiving yards and 50 touchdowns in his four AFL All-Star seasons in the Silver and Black.
Fifty-five years following his final pro football game, Powell remains second in history for most touchdowns receiving per game. In his 105 games as wide receiver, Powell's 81 touchdown catches put him at .77 per contest – which is second only to the Packers legend Don Hutson (.85) and ahead of Hall of Famers Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison and Jerry Rice.
"I wish I could take you all back to 1963," longtime Raiders owner Al Davis once said of Powell. "I had one of the greatest players who has ever played this game and he was tough to handle. He was the T.O. [Terrell Owens] of his time. And he was great. His first year for me, he carried us. He caught 16 touchdowns. His name was Art Powell."
Additionally Powell, along with Raiders Clem Daniels, Bo Roberson, Fred Williamson, led a boycott of a scheduled 1963 preseason game in Mobile, Alabama, because of segregated seating planned for Ladd Stadium. Al Davis backed them up, and the game wasn't played.
While Powell passed away in 2015, his legacy could soon live on forever within the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's 50-person Selection Committee will consider the three Seniors – along with 15 Modern-Era Players and a Coach/Contributor – for the Class of 2024 when the group meets early next year in advance of Super Bowl LVIII. To be selected for enshrinement into the Hall, a Senior Finalist needs to receive at least 80% voting support.
In 2022, the Hall of Fame's Board of Trustees approved a change to enlarge the number of Senior Finalists to three for the classes of 2023, 2024 and 2025. With that change, those classes could be as large as nine enshrinees each: up to five Modern-Era Players, up to three Seniors and one Coach/Contributor.
