Odds for Saturday

Do you think you can predict who will be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015 this Saturday? Well, the number of possibilities is extraordinarily large. The odds of exactly picking the class may not be as much of long a shot as being struck by lightning or even winning the lottery, but it’s still pretty daunting. 

There are 38,564 total possible outcomes for the Class of 2015. This year’s class of enshrinees can have no less than four and no more than eight Hall of Fame members.

Gaining election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame is the highest honor in all of sports. More than 27,000 men have played, coached or administered the game but only 287 have earned a bronzed bust in Canton!

So how close is that elusive Ring of Excellence for this year’s finalists?

As of last year when the Class of 2014 was elected, 280 men have been selected as a Finalist since 1970. Of that number, 81.8 % or 229 of those men were eventually elected into the Hall of Fame.

There is an even slightly better percentage for persons who have been Finalists more than once. Since 1970 there have been 140 men who were tabbed as HOF Finalists more than once. A positive percentage of 82.8% or 116 of those men eventually were elected to the HOF.
 

^Although in 2007 the Hall of Fame By-Laws for selection were modified to provide that a coach must be retired five seasons to be eligible, both Coryell and Johnson first became eligible under the old rules that did not require the five-year waiting period. Thus, Coryell has been eligible since his retirement from coaching in 1986 making him eligible for 28 years. Johnson was eligible for one year between the Cowboys and the Dolphins plus ever since he retired after the 1999 season. Therefore, his total years of eligibility are 16.