Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft Among Finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame

The head coach who won the most Lombardi Trophies in league history and his former boss are among five candidates who advanced as finalists across three categories for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2026 class, it was announced on Wednesday. 

Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was the lone selection for the coach category, while Patriots owner Robert Kraft was the selection for the contributor category.

Longtime Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, record-setting San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig and fierce Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end L.C. Greenwood are the three finalists for the seniors category. 

Roger Craig was the first player in NFL history to amass 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season. (Photo by Mickey Pfleger/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

All five semifinalists need at least 80% approval of the full Hall of Fame selection committee. Each member of the committee may vote for only three of the five finalists and, under bylaws approved by the Hall of Fame’s board of directors in 2024, a maximum of three finalists can be elected. If none of the five receives 80% approval, then the individual who receives the most support will be elected to the Class of 2026, which will be unveiled during Super Bowl week in February.  

Coach Category

Belichick’s nearly five-decade career in the NFL began as an assistant with the Baltimore Colts in 1975. He won two Super Bowls as a defensive assistant with the New York Giants in 1986 and 1990 before serving as head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1991 to 1995.

In 2000, Kraft hired Belichick as head coach in New England, and he led the Patriots to six Super Bowl wins over 18 seasons. Overall, Belichick had a 333-178 record, second only in NFL history to Hall of Famer Don Shula’s 347 victories. 

The other semifinalists in the coach category were Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert and Mike Shanahan.

Contributor Category

In 1994, Kraft paid $172 million, a record amount for a professional sports franchise at the time, to purchase the Patriots and keep them from moving to St. Louis. He also privately financed the construction of Gillette Stadium to give the franchise a permanent home. 

Every home game has been sold out since he bought the team, and the franchise has been valued at $9 billion. Kraft has served on 17 owners committees, including the broadcast/media committee since 1997, which he has chaired for the past 18 years.

New England has won six Super Bowls and played in four others during Kraft’s time running the team. Those 10 Super Bowl appearances are three more than any other owner in league history.

The other eight semifinalists in the Contributor category were K.S. “Bud” Adams, Roone Arledge, Ralph Hay, Frank “Bucko” Kilroy, Art Rooney Jr., Clark Shaughnessy, Seymour Siwoff and Buddy Young.

Seniors Category

Craig, one of the best pass-catching running backs in NFL history, was the first player to total 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season (1985), a feat subsequently matched by only two others, Marshall Faulk and Christian McCaffrey. Craig won three Super Bowls with the 49ers, with whom he spent eight seasons before a year with the Los Angeles Raiders and two with the Minnesota Vikings. 

For his career, Craig totaled 13,100 yards from scrimmage and scored 73 touchdowns. He was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Year in 1988, when he also finished third in MVP voting.

Anderson was a third-round draft choice from Augustana (Ill.) College in the 1971 NFL Draft and started four games at quarterback for the Bengals as a rookie before becoming their full-time starter in his second season. He played 192 games for Cincinnati through the 1986 season, and finished his career with four Pro Bowl invitations, a league MVP award for the 1981 season and 32,838 passing yards with 197 passing touchdowns.

Ken Anderson played 16 years for the Bengals and led them to Super Bowl XVI in 1982. (Photo by Andy Hayt /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

A member of the famous “Steel Curtain” defensive units in the 1970s, Greenwood played his entire 170-game career over 13 seasons with the Steelers. Undrafted out of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Greenwood won four Super Bowl rings, was named a first-team All-Pro defensive end twice and was selected to play in six Pro Bowls. He was credited with 78 sacks (an unofficial stat during his playing career) and 14 fumble recoveries.

Also advancing to the semifinalist stage in the seniors category were Henry Ellard, Joe Jacoby, Eddie Meador, Stanley Morgan, Steve Tasker and Otis Taylor.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.

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