Road to Canton (via South Florida)

On the day before Super Bowl XLIV in South Florida next February, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Board of Selectors will meet to hold its annual selection meeting to elect between four and seven individuals who will comprise the Class of 2010. The 44-person committee will debate the merits of 17 final candidates. Two of those finalists are this year’s senior nominees, former Detroit Lions defensive back Dick LeBeau and Denver Broncos running back Floyd Little.

Voice Your Choice

For the first time ever, fans now have a forum to share opinions on the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Thanks to our friends at JCPenney and Van Heusen, you can join the debate at jpc.com/fans>>>

The other 15 finalists will be selected from the initial list of 131 preliminary modern-era nominees that was announced on September 19. The selection process calls for a reduction to 25 semifinalists in November before the finalists are determined in January.

Between now and Thanksgiving Weekend, Profootballhof.com will profile the groups of players who comprise this list of nominees for the 2010 class.

THIS WEEK:

Offensive Linemen

NEXT WEEK: Linebackers

PREVIOUS WEEKS:
Running Backs | Defensive Linemen | First-Year Eligibles | QBs | Special teams, Coaches & Contributors

Enshrinement Tickets now on sale>>>

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s honor roll of enshrinees includes 34 modern-era offensive linemen. The most recent addition to the category came last year when guard Randall McDaniel was elected. History shows that there’s a relatively high possibility of another offensive lineman earning a spot in Canton again in 2010. The last time neither a guard, tackle, nor center was included in a class of enshrinees was in 2005. In fact, 14 of the past 20 classes of enshrinees have included at least one offensive lineman and six times in that span, a class has had multiple players from the front line elected.

This year’s list of nominees includes 14 offensive linemen – seven tackles, three centers, three guards, and one player – Chris Hinton – who split time between guard and tackle.

Russ Grimm

Two of this year’s nominees who have garnered the most interest in the past are guard Russ Grimm and center Dermontti Dawson. Grimm, a former four-time All-Pro with the Washington Redskins, has been a finalist each year since 2005. Dawson, who earned seven Pro Bowl berths during his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, made it to the final 15 of modern-era candidates for the first time last year.

The only other player on the list who has advanced beyond the preliminary list of nominees was Grimm’s fellow “Hog,” Joe Jacoby. The Redskins tackle was among the semifinalists in 2005 and again in 2008.

Here’s a closer look at the entire list of OLs under consideration for 2010 and how they stack up against each other.

Tony Boselli (T) – 1995-2002 Jacksonville Jaguars

Lomas Brown (T) – 1985-1995 Detroit Lions, 1996-98 Arizona Cardinals, 1999 Cleveland Browns, 2000-01 New York Giants, 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jim Covert (T) – 1983-1990 Chicago Bears

Dermontti Dawson (C) – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers

Russ Grimm (G) – 1981-1991 Washington Redskins

Jay Hilgenberg (C) – 1981-1991 Chicago Bears, 1992 Cleveland Browns, 1993 New Orleans Saints

Chris Hinton (G/T) – 1983-89 Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts, 1990-93 Atlanta Falcons, 1994-95 Minnesota Vikings

Kent Hull (C) – 1986-1996 Buffalo Bills

Joe Jacoby (T) – 1981-1993 Washington Redskins

Mike Kenn (T) – 1978-1994 Atlanta Falcons

Jim Lachey (T) – 1985-87 San Diego Chargers, 1988 Los Angeles Raiders, 1988-1992, 1994-95 Washington Redskins

Max Montoya (G) – 1979-1989 Cincinnati Bengals, 1990-94 Los Angeles Raiders

Korey Stringer (T) – 1995-2000 Minnesota Vikings

Steve Wisniewski (G) 1989-2001 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders

Offensive Linemen Nominees for 2010 Election
		Honors				Championship Teams
Player	Years	Position	All Pro	All Conf.	Pro Bowls	Div.	Conf.	League
Tony Boselli	8	Tackle	3	3	5	2	0	0
Lomas Brown	18	Tackle	3	4	7	4	2	1
Jim Covert	8	Tackle	2	3	2	6	1	1
Dermontti Dawson	13	Center	6	5	7	5	1	0
Russ Grimm	11	Guard	4	4	4	5	4	3
Jay Hilgenberg	13	Center	3	7	7	6	1	1
Chris Hinton	13	Guard/Tackle	2	6	7	2	0	0
Kent Hull	11	Center	3	4	3	6	4	0
Joe Jacoby	13	Tackle	3	2	4	5	4	3
Mike Kenn	17	Tackle	3	5	5	1	0	0
Jim Lachey	10	Tackle	3	4	3	1	1	1
Max Montoya	16	Guard	0	2	4	3	2	0
Korey Stringer	6	Tackle	0	0	1	2	0	0
Steve Wisniewski	13	Guard	5	7	8	3	0	0