NEW ORLEANS – Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Antonio Gates, and Sterling Sharpe, take a bow! You are now part of the esteemed team that celebrates greatness. The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2025 during the NFL Honors program at the Saenger Theatre on Thursday night, emphasizing exclusivity. This year’s class is the smallest in two decades.
Notable omissions include Eli Manning, the former New York Giants quarterback and two-time Super Bowl MVP, along with other first-ballot finalists such as Terrell Suggs, Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri, and Marshal Yanda. Coaching finalist Mike Holmgren, as well as long-time finalists Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne, will also have to wait another year.
Nonetheless, the four individuals who will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio on August 2 have undeniable credentials:
– Sterling Sharpe, a senior finalist in his 26th year of eligibility, will join his brother Shannon as the first Hall of Fame brother duo. Despite a career shortened by a neck injury after seven seasons, the former Green Bay Packers receiver was a three-time receptions leader in the NFL, with a record-setting 112 catches in 1993, and surpassed 1,000 yards five times in the 1990s.
– Antonio Gates, holding the NFL record for career touchdown receptions by a tight end (116), received Pro Bowl honors for eight straight seasons (2004-2011) and five All-Pro selections during his 16-year tenure with the San Diego Chargers. Also named to the All-Decade team for the 2000s, Gates was surprisingly left out last year despite his first-ballot potential.
– Jared Allen, a four-time first-team All-Pro defensive end, ranks 12th in NFL history with 136 sacks. Leading the league in sacks twice, he played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, and Carolina Panthers during his 12-year career, which includes a share of the NFL record for safeties.
– Eric Allen, a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback, played for the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, and Oakland Raiders during his 14-year NFL career. With 54 interceptions, including eight returned for touchdowns, he is tied for 21st all-time, and led the league with four pick-sixes in 1993.
The last Hall of Fame class with such few inductees was in 2005, consisting of Dan Marino, Steve Young, Fritz Pollard, and Bennie Friedman. The limited number of inductees this year is attributed to a revised selection process that involved final reduction voting, where the selection panel chose five out of seven modern-day candidates to gain induction by securing 80% of the vote. Previously, voters had a yes or no vote on a final five, with 80% vote needed for induction
We voted virtually in January to select the class. This article was first published on USA TODAY: Pro Football Hall of Fame 2025 class: Eli Manning doesn’t make the cut.
