This post is brought to you by JC Penney and Van Heusen.
As I told you about a couple of months ago, the NFL has teamed up with Van Heusen and JC Penny to put together a Hall of Fame fan vote. And this marked the first time in which the NFL has at least recognized fan voting in regards to the Pro Football Hall of Fame - even though it has no real impact on the actual Hall of Fame voting.
Well the NFL recently announced the 25 official semifinalists for induction. As it turns out, 11 of the top 25 in the fan vote did not make it to the actual semifinals. The 14 players that both the Board of Selectors and the fans agreed on are: Cliff Branch, Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Richard Dent, Kevin Greene, Ray Guy, Charles Haley, Lester Hayes, John Randle, Andre Reed, Jerry Rice, Shannon Sharpe, Emmitt Smith, and Steve Tasker.
However, the 11 players who were among the top 25 in the fan vote but not among the semifinalists as selected by the Board of Selectors are still in the JC Penney/Van Heusen Fan's Choice vote.
The Fan’s Choice campaign mirrors the Hall’s selection process and will name the first-ever Fan’s Choice Class live on the NFL Network in Miami on February 6, 2010, just prior to the official announcement from the Board. Fans are encouraged to visit www.fanschoice.com daily to vote for their favorites before the next Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee reduction vote to 15 modern-era finalists that will take place in January.