Courtesy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Logo courtesy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Six coaches and contributors are among the 25 finalists in the running for induction in the 2014 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Super Bowl winning coaches Tony Dungy and Jimmy Johnson join Eddie DeBartolo Jr., George Young, Paul Tagliabue and Don Coryell as semifinalists.

The list’s next most prominent role is the position of pass rusher, where five men who played linebacker, defensive line or a hybrid between the two moved on to the next round.

Among the prominent first-time candidates are wide receiver Marvin Harrison, tackle Walter Jones and linebacker Derrick Brooks. Harrison joins long-time finalists Andre Reed and Tim Brown at the receiver position where, until Cris Carter was inducted this year, Reed, Brown and Carter each received enough support where their votes seemed to cancel each other out.

Other areas of intrigue are on the offensive line, where newcomer Walter Jones and returning semifinalist Will Shields are strong contenders for enshrinement, and safety, where Steve Atwater and John Lynch move to the next step at a position where voters have not inducted many previous candidates.

The 25 semifinalists were announced on the NFL Network Wednesday night.

All 15 of Zoneblitz’ predictions for finalists – and one narrowly eliminated finalist – all remain in the running for induction. You can check out our prediction for finalists and ultimate selection at this link.

Sheer numbers would make it a surprise if at least one contributor is not ultimately inducted in August 2014. But even if it lacks a little in star power from some previous years, this is a pretty strong group from top to bottom.

Who do you think makes it to the next round? Let us know below.

Here are the semifinalists by position:

Running backs

  • Jerome Bettis
  • Roger Craig
  • Terrell Davis

Wide receivers

  • Tim Brown
  • Marvin Harrison
  • Andre Reed

Offensive linemen

  • Joe Jacoby
  • Walter Jones
  • Will Shields
  • Steve Wisniewski

Linebackers, Defensive linemen

  • Michael Strahan
  • Derrick Brooks
  • Kevin Greene
  • Charles Haley
  • Karl Mecklenburg

Defensive backs

  • Steve Atwater
  • John Lynch
  • Aeneas Williams

Special teams

  • Morten Andersen

Coaches/contributors

  • Don Coryell
  • Edward DeBartolo Jr
  • Tony Dungy
  • Jimmy Johnson
  • Paul Tagliabue
  • George Young

The group of 25 semifinalists will be reduced to 15 finalists on Wednesday, January 8, 2014. Senior finalists Ray Guy and Claude Humphrey automatically advance to the final round of voting, which will take place in the weekend leading up to the Super Bowl.