Class of 2010 to be decided today

A selection process that began last August will come to completion Saturday afternoon at the Super Bowl Media Center in Ft. Lauderdale. The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee, comprised of 44 members of the media, is in session to elect the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2010.

Headlining the group of finalists under consideration are the National Football League’s all-time leading receiver and rusher, Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith. [2010 finalists]

For the first time ever, the announcement press conference will come in the fashion of a two-hour special on NFL Network. “The Hall of Fame Class of 2010 Announcement Show” airs live at 5:00 p.m. Portions of the program including the announcement of the class will also be streamed live on NFL.com.

Those newly elected members on hand in South Florida will join the show live while others will be interviewed via phone.

Then, the group of new electees will be put to work on Sunday. The NFL has announced that the Class of 2010 will be on field at Super Bowl XLIV for the pre-game coin toss. The coin they will flip has made its way to Sun Life Stadium via the International Space Station and Canton, Ohio (see related story: NASA presents Super Bowl coin).