Former Redskins Linebacker Chris Hanburger and former Rams Linebacker Les Richter were selected from a field of 16 finalists to be the 2011 Senior Candidates for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

The two will be included in a vote with five other “modern” finalists as determined by the Hall of Fame voting committee in the coming months. Earlier this month, 2010 senior candidates Floyd Little and Dick LaBeau, not considered strong candidates by many Zoneblitz readers, were inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Hanburger played his entire fourteen year career with the Washington Redskins, making the pro bowl nine times and being named first team All-Pro four times after being an 18th (final) round selection out of North Carolina in 1965.

Richter, who died earlier this year at 79, was a first round draft choice of the New York Yanks in 1952, but was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Rams for 11 players, the largest trade ever made for a single player. He played for the Rams for nine seasons, making eight pro bowls and one first team All-Pro selection. Richter also served as a kicker for his first three seasons (and made a couple of later career kicking appearances), making 106 of 109 PAT attempts and 29 of 55 field goals.

After leaving the NFL, Richter went on to become a high-ranking official with NASCAR.

In recent comments left on Zoneblitz.com, Hanburger was named by several as a likely candidate for 2011, while Richter wasn’t named by anyone (that I saw). In fact, in his popular list of potential senior candidates from last year, regular commenter Tony P. didn’t even include Richter in the original list, only adding him three weeks after the original list was posted, presumably after receiving feedback from other regulars.

So, let’s start the discussion anew–Hanburger and Richter–worthy candidates, and why or why not?