12 Coaches advance in selection process for Hall of Fame Class of 2025

Next step in process: Reduction vote for nine semifinalists

Twelve individuals in the Coach category have moved one step closer to election for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 presented by Visual Edge IT.

The Hall’s nine-member Coach Blue-Ribbon Committee narrowed its original list of 14 nominees to these 12 individuals: Bill Arnsparger, Tom Coughlin, Jeff Fisher, Alex Gibbs, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Richie Petitbon, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert, Mike Shanahan and Clark Shaughnessy.

Hall of Fame bylaws stipulate that each Coach Blue-Ribbon Committee member votes for 12 individuals at this stage of the selection process. Each will cast an additional ballot later this month to reduce the list to nine semifinalists, with those results announced in about two weeks.

Through a sequence of reduction votes over several weeks, the Blue-Ribbon Committee will select one (1) Finalist for the Class of 2025.

Earlier this year, the Hall of Fame revised its bylaws beginning with the Class of 2025. Among the changes: a split of the Coach/Contributor category, which had been combined over the past few election cycles. Both categories now will send nominees through respective Blue-Ribbon Committees before candidates are considered by the full Selection Committee. The Blue-Ribbon Committees are comprised of nine (9) individuals: seven (7) who also are members of the full Selection Committee and two (2) others who hold full voting rights for this subcommittee only. 

The new bylaws also reduced the waiting period for Coach candidates from five seasons out of the game to one season out of the game. Individuals who last coached in the 2023 season or earlier are eligible for the Class of 2025. 

Here are short bios on each of the Coaches who remain in consideration for the Class of 2025:

• Bill Arnsparger: Longtime defensive coordinator. Won two Super Bowl titles with Miami Dolphins and appeared in two other Super Bowls (Miami and San Diego). Also head coach of New York Giants.
• Tom Coughlin: Spent 20 years as an NFL head coach with Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-2002) and New York Giants (2004-2015), totaling 170 wins and leading the Giants to two Super Bowl titles. 
• Jeff Fisher: NFL head coach for 22 seasons with Houston Oilers, Tennessee Titans and St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams. 
• Alex Gibbs: Assistant head coach and/or offensive line coach for 27 NFL seasons with seven different Clubs.
• Mike Holmgren: Head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992-98 and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999-2008. Won a Super Bowl and appeared in another as a head coach.
• Chuck Knox: NFL Coach of the Year in 1973, 1980 and 1984. He went 186-147-1 during 22 regular seasons as an NFL head coach for the Rams, Bills and Seahawks.
• Richie Petitbon: Promoted to Washington’s defensive coordinator in 1981. Joe Gibbs ran the offense and Petitbon the defense on a team that would win three Super Bowls over the next 11 seasons.
• Dan Reeves: Head coach of the Denver Broncos from 1981-1992, New York Giants from 1993-96 and Atlanta Falcons from 1997-2003.
• Marty Schottenheimer: Head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1984-88, Kansas City Chiefs from 1989-1998, Washington Redskins in 2001 and San Diego Chargers from 2002-06.
• George Seifert: Two-time Super Bowl champion head coach with the San Francisco 49ers. Coached 11 years with 49ers and Carolina Panthers.  
• Mike Shanahan: Head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders from 1988-89, Denver Broncos from 1995-2008 and Washington Redskins from 2010-13. Won two Super Bowls.
• Clark Shaughnessy: Head coach of the Los Angeles Rams from 1948-49 and assistant coach for the Washington Redskins from 1944-47 and Chicago Bears from 1951-1962.

Elsewhere in the Class of 2025 selection process

• 167 Modern-Era players nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025
• 31 Seniors remain in consideration for Hall’s Class of 2025 after second reduction vote
• 9 Contributors advance in selection process for Hall of Fame Class of 2025 
• 12 Coaches advance in selection process for Hall of Fame Class of 2025