The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 15 finalists for the 2023 Hall of Fame class on Wednesday, and former Syracuse star Dwight Freeney was among them. He was named a finalist in his first year of eligibility. This brings him one step closer to earning a gold jacket. Should he become a Hall of Famer, he would rank Syracuse among the fifth most Hall of Famers of all time.
What is the process from this point? Find out more about Colts.com here.
The 49-strong Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee will meet in the coming weeks to determine the 2023 Modern Era nominees, with the process reducing the group of 15 finalists to 10 and then to five. Once the final five finalists are chosen, the selection committee votes yes or no on each player, with 80 percent of the vote required to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Modern Era Class of 2023 will be unveiled during the NFL Honors Awards Show on February 9 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Playing in college at Syracuse, Freeney set numerous records and became one of the top pass rushers in the country. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the NFL Draft and for them from 2002 to 2012. Freeney accumulated 125.5 sacks during his career, good for 26th all-time. He was a three-time First Team All-Pro, seven-time Pro Bowler, and Super Bowl champion. Freeney had double-digit sacks in seven seasons and at least four forced fumbles in eight seasons.
The full list of 15 finalists is as follows:
Scroll to Next
- Jared Allen, DE – 2004-2007 Kansas City Chiefs, 2008-2013 Minnesota Vikings, 2014-2015 Chicago Bears, 2015 Carolina Panthers
- Willie Anderson, OT – 1996-2007 Cincinnati Bengals, 2008 Baltimore Ravens
- Ronde Barber, DB – 1997-2012 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Dwight Freeney, DE – Indianapolis Colts 2002-2012, San Diego Chargers 2013-14, Arizona Cardinals 2015, Atlanta Falcons 2016, Detroit Lions 2017, Seattle Seahawks 2017
- Devin Hester, PR/KR/WR – 2006-2013 Chicago Bears, 2014-2015 Atlanta Falcons, 2016 Baltimore Ravens, 2016 Seattle Seahawks
- Torry Holt, WR – 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars
- Andre Johnson, WR – 2003-2014 Houston Texans, 2015 Indianapolis Colts, 2016 Tennessee Titans
- Albert Lewis, CB – 1983-1993 Kansas City Chiefs, 1994-1998 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders
- Darrelle Revis, CB – 2007-2012/2015-16 New York Jets, 2013 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2014 New England Patriots, 2017 Kansas City Chiefs
- Joe Thomas, LT – 2007-2017 Cleveland Browns
- Zach Thomas, LB – 1996-2007 Miami Dolphins, 2008 Dallas Cowboys
- DeMarcus Ware, LB – 2005-2013 Dallas Cowboys, 2014-2016 Denver Broncos
- Reggie Wayne, WR – 2001-2014 Indianapolis Colts
- Patrick Willis, LB – 2007-2014 San Francisco 49ers
- Darren Woodson, S — 1992-2003 Dallas Cowboys
SUPPORT ALL SYRACUSE
SUBSCRIBE TO ALLSYRACUSE.COM NOW FOR ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE INSIDER CONTENT
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE FREE ALL-SYRACUSE NEWSLETTER TO RECEIVE THE LATEST ORANGE UPDATES IN YOUR E-MAIL
JOIN THE ALL SYRACUSE FORUMS FOR FREE AND DISCUSS THE ORANGE WITH OTHER FANS AND OUR STAFF
Comments are closed.