The NFL will announce its Hall of Fame Class of 2021 later today. The Pittsburgh Steelers added three inductees last year in Donnie Shell, Troy Polamalu and Bill Cowher, bringing their franchise total to 24 players/coaches/contributors. There are two former Steelers on the finalist ballot this year: contributor Bill Nunn and offensive lineman Alan Faneca.
The Steelers are one of the most storied franchises in the entire NFL and are likely to see at least one of their two nominees land in Canton. Here is a current list of the 15 player finalists and 3 contributor finalists:
There are a few sure fire players that are likely to be inducted this year: Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson and Calvin Johnson. Manning, perhaps one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, is in his first year of eligibility and will likely headline the class when it's announced later today. Woodson, another first time eligible player, played an incredible 18 years in the NFL and the two-time DPOY is almost guaranteed to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame this year. Lastly is Megatron, one of the most dominate wideouts to ever play football, retired after just nine years in the NFL. However, Johnson redesigned how the wide receiver position was played during his career and is almost a lock to be inducted during his first year of eligibility.
So, this leaves 12 Hall of Fame finalists battling it out for two spots. Faneca, who anchored the Steelers offensive line for a decade, is in his sixth consecutive year of being a Hall of Fame finalist and will hopefully hear his name called at some point this evening. Faneca is a 9-time Pro Bowler, 6-time First Team All-Pro and won a Super Bowl with the Steelers in 2005. Faneca only missed two starts in his incredible 13-year career and will likely go down as one of the best lineman in Steelers history.
Nunn, a key cog in the Steelers dominate dynasty of the 1970's, will more than likely be inducted with the 2021 Hall of Fame class in my opinion. Nunn transformed the way the Steelers recruited collegiate talent and created a pipeline for African American players from HBCU to Pittsburgh. Nunn was a transcendent talent for the Steelers and helped draft a ton of future Hall of Famers including John Stallworth, Mel Blount and recent 2020 Hall of Fame inductee Donnie Shell. Nunn also became the managing editor of the Pittsburgh Courier where he started the annual Black College All-American Team. Unfortunately, Nunn passed away in 2014 at the age of 89, but his legacy will live forever in Pittsburgh and the entire NFL. Fingers crossed that Nunn finally gets the respect he so much deserves and is chosen to represent the Steelers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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