Blue-Ribbon Panel Met to Elect Centennial Slate for Class of 2020 in Canton

This week, the special Blue-Ribbon Panel met at the Pro Football Hall of Fame to select the 15-person Centennial Slate for the Class of 2020. This is the first time any member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame was elected during a selection meeting held at the Hall in Canton. The Centennial Slate will be announced live on Good Morning Football next Wednesday, Jan. 15 beginning at 7 a.m. ET on NFL Network.

The Class of 2020 will consist of 20 members. The Centennial Slate includes 10 Seniors (players who last played more than 25 seasons ago), three Contributors (an individual other than a player or coach), and two Coaches (who last coached more than five seasons ago) and were voted on from a list of 38 Finalists. The Centennial Blue-Ribbon Panel scrutinized nearly 300 nominees in the process.

An additional five members will be added to the Class of 2020 on “Selection Saturday” when the Modern-Era Player Finalists are voted on by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

The merits of the Centennial Slate Finalists, which were announced in mid-December, were deliberated on by the Blue-Ribbon Panel for more than 10 hours before voting on each category. The complete list of finalists can be viewed at www.profootballhof.com/finalists-for-special-centennial-slate-revealed/

The Centennial Slate Blue-Ribbon Panel is comprised of many members of the overall Selection Committee in addition to Hall of Famers, coaches, football executives and several leading historians. They include:

• Bill Belichick – New England Patriots Head Coach
• Jarrett Bell – Hall of Fame Selector, USA Today
• Gil Brandt – Pro Football Hall of Fame Contributor
• Joel Bussert – Former NFL Executive, Pro Football Historian  
• John Clayton – Hall of Fame Selector, The Washington Post
• Frank Cooney – Hall of Fame Selector, Sports Xchange                  
• John Czarnecki – Hall of Fame Selector, FOX Sports   
• Rick Gosselin – Hall of Fame Selector, Talk of Fame Network
• Elliot Harrison – Pro Football Historian and Long-time TV Analyst
• Joe Horrigan – Retired Pro Football Hall of Fame Executive Director, Football Historian  
• Ira Kaufman – Hall of Fame Selector, JoeBucsFan.com
• Dick LeBeau – Pro Football Hall of Fame Cornerback, Longtime NFL coach
• Jeff Legwold – Hall of Fame Selector, ESPN/ESPN.com
• John Madden – Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach                  
• John McClain – Hall of Fame Selector, Houston Chronicle               
• Gary Myers – Hall of Fame Selector, The Athletic       
• Ozzie Newsome – Pro Football Hall of Fame Tight End, EVP Baltimore Ravens
• Sal Paolantonio – Hall of Fame Selector, Senior National Correspondent – ESPN
• Carl Peterson – Longtime Pro Football Executive
• Bill Polian – Pro Football Hall of Fame Contributor
• Dan Pompei – Hall of Fame Selector, The Athletic
• Charean Williams – Hall of Fame Selector, Pro Football Talk  
• Chris Willis – Producer-Head of Research Library - NFL Films, Football Historian
• Barry Wilner – Hall of Fame Selector, Associated Press
• Ron Wolf – Pro Football Hall of Fame Contributor

The 2020 Blue-Ribbon Panel convened today to select the history-making Centennial Slate of 10 seniors, 3 contributors & 2 coaches. Among the panel members in attendance for the deliberations were: Bill Belichick, John Madden, Ozzie Newsome & Bill Polian. #PFHOF20 pic.twitter.com/bZ0i3jhLEw

— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) January 8, 2020

ENSHRINEMENT FOR CLASS OF 2020

The entire 20-person Class of 2020 will be on hand for the 2020 Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls. The group of Modern-Era Players along with Contributors and Coaches will be formally enshrined on Saturday, Aug. 8. The 10 Seniors will take center stage in the once-in-every-other-lifetime Centennial Celebration in Canton on Sept. 16-19 when they are enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

The Centennial Celebration will feature a multi-day schedule of events celebrating the NFL’s 100th Birthday party including the dedication of the new Centennial Plaza in downtown Canton near the site where the NFL was founded; and a Centennial Spectacular to kick off the league’s next century in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium showcasing thousands of NFL Legends who built the game in attendance along with world-class performances from a variety of music icons.

Specific details and ticket information will be announced shortly after the unveiling of the “Centennial Slate.” For more information, visit www.profootballhof.com/enshrinement/