CANTON, OHIO — Linebacker Derrick Thomas of the Kansas City Chiefs and quarterbacks Dan Marino and Steve Young highlighted a list Friday of 25 candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Thomas and the former All-Pro quarterbacks are among six first-year eligible players. The nominees were chosen by the Hall of Fame's board of selectors from a previously announced list of 90 candidates.
The list will be reduced by a mail ballot to 13 modern-era candidates. That list will increase to 15 finalists with the addition of two candidates recommended by the Hall of Fame's senior committee. Those nominees, who were announced in August, are quarterback Benny Friedman and running back Fritz Pollard.
Marino holds the single-season record of 48 touchdown passes. He quarterbacked the Miami Dolphins for 17 seasons, and he and took them to the 1985 Super Bowl, which they lost to San Francisco. He holds NFL records with 61,361 yards passing and 420 touchdown passes.
Young played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before going to San Francisco. The left-hander emerged from Joe Montana's shadow to lead the 49ers to the Super Bowl title after the 1994 season.
Other first-year eligible players on the list are: defensive end-linebacker Chris Doleman (Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, 49ers), defensive end-linebacker Charles Haley (49ers, Dallas Cowboys) and wide receiver Michael Irvin (Cowboys).
Owners Art Modell (Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens) and Ralph Wilson Jr. (Buffalo Bills) return to the candidate list.
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