Semifinalists to be announced on NFL Network

One-hour “Road to Canton” presents first-time TV announcement of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 25 semifinalists Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ET and 9:00 p.m. ET

For the first time ever, the announcement of the 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2010 will be televised on “Pro Football Hall of Fame: Road to Canton” Saturday, November 28 at 1:00 PM ET with an encore at 9:00 PM ET only on NFL Network.

Paul Burmeister hosts the 60-minute show and leads a panel discussion analyzing who made the final 25 and who didn’t.  Joining Burmeister are longtime Dallas Morning News NFL writer and Hall of Fame selector Rick Gosselin, former Philadelphia Daily News writer and NFL Films writer-producer Ray Didinger, who had a Hall of Fame vote for 15 years, and longtime Pro Football Hall of Fame executive Joe Horrigan. 

Also in “Road to Canton,” NFL Films president Steve Sabol presents an essay entitled “Terrell Davis vs. History” in which he compares Davis’ career to the performances of three Hall of Fame running backs who had short careers: Ernie Nevers, Gale Sayers, and Doak Walker. In addition, Sabol hosts a roundtable with NFL Films’ most storied cinematographers – Bob Angelo, Donnie Marx, Hank McElwee and Bob Smith – to tell the stories behind their most iconic shots of the Hall of Famers.

NFL Network’s Rod Woodson, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009, hosts a segment in which he breaks down the candidates at defensive back and wide receiver.

On January 7, NFL Network will announce the 15 finalists for the Hall of Fame. The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2010 will be announced live on February 6, 2010 at 5:00 PM ET on NFL Network.

Fan’s Voice

For the first time fans are invited to vote for their choice for the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the Van Heusen Pro Football Hall of Fame Fan’s Choice at www.fanschoice.com . Poll results will be revealed on the show, with in depth analysis, and a comparison to the Selectors Vote.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame, Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation and J.C. Penney Company have teamed to provide the first-ever dedicated forum for fans to debate, discuss and voice their choice by voting for the Hall of Fame Inductee Class of 2010. The robust forum also includes stats on all candidates and opinions from football experts, Hall of Fame players and fans around the country.