CANTON, OHIO – The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Selection Committee met today in San Francisco to hold its annual selection meeting. Eight Heroes of the Game were elected to the Hall of Fame. The Class of 2016 consists of owner Edward DeBartolo, Jr., coach Tony Dungy, quarterback Brett Favre, linebacker/defensive end Kevin Greene, wide receiver Marvin Harrison, tackle Orlando Pace, quarterback Ken Stabler, and guard Dick Stanfel.
Today's annual selection meeting was held inside the Super Bowl 50 Media Center in downtown San Francisco and capped a year-round selection process. The newly elected Hall of Famers were chosen from a list of 18 finalists who had been determined earlier by the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Selection Committee.
Representatives of the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche tabulated all votes during Saturday's meeting.
The Class of 2016 will be introduced for the first time as a group during "NFL Honors," a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally tonight from 9-11 p.m. (ET and PT) on CBS.
The Class of 2016 will be formally enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, Aug. 6. The Enshrinement Ceremony is held in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton and caps a spectacular Enshrinement Festival that celebrates the newest enshrinees in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
KEN STABLER
Quarterback … 6-3, 215 … Alabama … 1970-79 Oakland Raiders, 1980-81 Houston Oilers, 1982-84 New Orleans Saints … 15 seasons, 184 games … Left-handed passer known for his exciting and flamboyant style … Drafted in 2nd round of the 1968 draft by Raiders … Joined team in 1970 and guided Oakland to winning records in each of his 9 seasons as a starter including five straight division crowns … Traded to Houston and led Oilers to 11-5 mark, 1980 … Compiled impressive .661 winning percentage … Totaled 27,938 yards and 194 touchdowns … Career completion percentage (59.85) ranked second all-time at retirement … Led Raiders to AFC title game each season from 1973-77 … First quarterback since AFL-NFL merger to lead team to five consecutive conference championships … Registered league-leading and career-best 103.4 passer rating, 1976 … Guided Raiders to victory over Steelers in '76 AFC Championship Game and then win over Vikings in Super Bowl XI … Twice led NFL in TD passes (1974 and 1976) … All-Pro and NFL's MVP, 1974 and 1976 … All-AFC three times (1973-74, 1976) … Voted to four Pro Bowls … Named to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1970s … Born on December 25, 1945 in Foley, Alabama … Died July 8, 2015 at age of 69.
SELECTION MEETING
The first order of business for the Selection Committee at today's meeting was to discuss and debate the merits of the Senior Finalists, Stabler and Stanfel. Both were required to receive at least an 80 percent positive vote to earn election. Next, the career of DeBartolo, Jr., this year's Contributor Finalist, was reviewed. Like all other Finalists, the Contributor Finalist needs a minimum 80 percent positive vote to be elected.
The Selection Committee then presented and reviewed the 15 Modern-Era Finalists that included two cut downs in the process. The first cut of finalists was from 15 to 10. The five eliminated from consideration at that point were Morten Andersen, Steve Atwater, Alan Faneca, Edgerrin James and Terrell Owens. After one last round of discussion, the final 10 finalists were reduced to five. Removed at that point were Don Coryell, Terrell Davis, Joe Jacoby, John Lynch and Kurt Warner.
The five remaining finalists – Dungy, Favre, Greene, Harrison, and Pace – were then voted on individually and received the necessary 80 percent positive vote from the Selection Committee to be elected.
HALL OF FAME ENSHRINEMENT WEEKEND
DeBartolo, Jr., Dungy, Favre, Greene, Harrison, Pace, Stabler and Stanfel will be formally enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016. The Enshrinement Ceremony takes place at the new Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton and will be televised nationally by NFL Network and ESPN.
Three major events complementing the Enshrinement Ceremony and NFL/Hall of Fame Game on Sunday, Aug. 7 (teams not yet announced) are the nationally televised Enshrinees' Gold Jacket Dinner (Thursday, August 4) on NFL Network, the Concert for Legends, this year featuring Tim McGraw (Friday, August 5) and the Enshrinees GameDay Roundtable (Sunday, August 7). It is at the Enshrinees' Gold Jacket Dinner where each member of the Class of 2016 will be presented his Hall of Fame Gold Jacket. At the Enshrinees GameDay Roundtable, the Class of 2016 will be featured center stage as they share memories of the game and their personal feelings about being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
More than 100 Gold Jackets (living Hall of Famers) return to the Hall of Fame each year to be a part of the Enshrinement Ceremony celebration. Nowhere else are fans able to see and interact with as many Hall of Famers in one place at one time as in Canton during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week.
The Concert for Legends, Enshrinement Ceremony and NFL/Hall of Fame Game will be held inside the brand new Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. The venue's new north stands and fan plaza will be completed in time for the 2016 Enshrinement Week. The second phase of the stadium's reconstruction will be completed in 2017. Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, a world-class sports and entertainment complex, is one component of the $476 million Hall of Fame Village project that began in September 2015.
TICKETS & PACKAGES
Tickets to the Enshrinement Weekend events are available at ProFootballHOF.com/tickets and by calling 844-4-HOFTIX. Tickets to the Concert for Legends, featuring music icon Tim McGraw, are on sale now. Tickets to the Enshrinement Ceremony and NFL/Hall of Fame Game go on sale Saturday, February 13 at 10 am.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame also offers Official Fan Packages that provide fans with VIP experiences, premium seats, and parties with Hall of Famers during the 2016 Enshrinement Week. Official Fan Packages are on sale now at HOFExperiences.com.
