NFL Hall of Fame 2013 Class

The 2013 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame has been announced. The annual announcement, the day before the Super Bowl, often leads to debate and questions over why this person was added to the Canton, Ohio Hall of Fame, while someone else was not.

The finalists for this year were: offensive linemen Will Shields, Larry Allen, and Jonathan Ogden, wide receivers Tim Brown, Cris Carter, and Andre Reed, running back Jerome Bettis, defensive end Michael Strahan, defensive tackle Warren Sapp, linebackers Kevin Greene and Charles Haley, cornerback/safety Aenaes Williams, coach Bill Parcells, and owners Art Modell and Edward DeBartalo, Jr. The two senior nominees were defensive tackle Curley Culp and linebacker Dave Robinson.

The voting earlier today narrowed the list down to ten: Allen, Bettis, Carter, Haley, Ogden, Parcells, Reed, Sapp, Strahan, and Williams.

The voting process next cut the ten down to five, before a yes or no vote on each of the final five for consideration. The five possible members were: Allen, Carter, Ogden, Parcells, and Sapp.

At 5:30pm Eastern, the announcement was made on NFL Network.

Of note, the voters reportedly spent an hour discussing Parcells' candidacy along.

The 2013 Pro Football Hall of Fame class is:

• Larry Allen, Guard, Dallas Cowboys / San Francisco 49ers - Allen is an 11 time Pro Bowler, and was named as a First Team All Pro six times. He played for the Cowboys from 1994 to 2005, joining the 49ers for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Allen won Super Bowl XXX with the Cowboys after the 2995 season.
• Cris Carter, Wide Receiver, Philadelphia Eagles / Minnesota Vikings / Miami Dolphins - Carter is an 8 time Pro Bowler, and was named as a First Team All Pro twice. He played for the Eagles from 1987 to 1989 after being drafted in the fourth round of the supplementary draft. He then spent 12 seasons with the Vikings fro 1990 to 2001, before playing his final year, 2002, with the Dolphins. Carter finished his career with 1,101 receptions for 13,899 yards, and 130 touchdowns.
• Jonathan Ogden, Tackle, Baltimore Ravens - Ogden was the first ever pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 1996, after the organization left Cleveland and the heritage of the Browns behind. Spending his entire 12 year career with the Ravens, Ogden was an 11 time Pro Bowler and was a First Team All Pro selection four times. He started 176 of the 177 games he played in his career, with the only non-start coming in his final season, 2007, when he only played in 11 games, but still earned a Pro Bowl selection (the only year Ogden did not go to the Pro Bowl was his rookie season in 1996). Ogden won Super Bowl XXXV after the 2000 season with the Ravens.
• Bill Parcells, Coach, New York Giants / New England Patriots / New York Jets / Dallas Cowboys - Parcells was elected into the Hall of Fame as a coach. He started his Pro Football coaching career with the New York Giants as a defensive coordinator in 1979. He then moved to the New England Patriots as the linebackers coach in 1980. from 1981 to 1990, he was back with the Giants, first as the defensive coordinator in 1981 and 1982, then as the head coach from 1983-1990. He joined the Patriots again in 1993 as their head coach until 1996. In 1997, Parcells became the head coach of the New York Jets, staying there through 1999. In 2003, Parcells became the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys until 2006. He was the NFL Coach of the Year in 1986 and 1994, as well as a Super Bowl winning coach in Super Bowls XXI (1986 season) and XXV (1990 season), both with the Giants. Parcells' time as Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the Miami Dolphins (2008-2010) was not considered.

Jeff Ireland on Parcells making HOF: "I continue to use many of (his) principles to build a winning team."

— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) February 2, 2013

• Warren Sapp, Defensive Tackle, Tampa Bay Buccaneers / Oakland Raiders - Sapp was a seven time Pro Bowler and four time First Team All-Pro selection. He played for the Buccaneers from 1995 to 2003, then moved to the Raiders from 2004 to 2007. He played 198 games in the NFL, with four interceptions, 19 forced fumbles, 96.5 sacks, and 573 tackles. He won the Super Bowl with the Buccaneers after the 2002 season (Super Bowl XXXVII).
• Curley Culp, Defensive Tackle, Kansas City Chiefs / Houston Oilers / Detroit Lions - Culp was a six time Pro Bowler and one time First Team All Pro selection. He played for the Chiefs from 1968 to 1974, the Oliers from 1974 to 1980, and the Lions from 1980 to 1981.
• Dave Robinson, Linebacker, Green Bay Packers / Washington Redskins - Robinson was a three time Pro Bowler and one time First Team All Pro selection. He played for the Packers from 1963 to 1972 before finishing his career with the Redskins from 1973 to 1974.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place August 3 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Field at Fawcett Stadium, Canton, Ohio.