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Get ready for the ceremony & festivities as a handful of inductees are enshrined at the Pro Football Hall of Fame this summer.

Who will it be in 2012?

This year, inductees for the Class of 2012 will be finaliized on Saturday, February 4, 2012 as the big announcement is made public the day before the Super Bowl. Included will be some of the most richly-deserving of the NFL’s finest.

To be considered for Pro Football Hall of Fame election, a nominated player or coach must have been retired at least five years. A contributor, who is an individual who has made outstanding career contributions to pro football in capacities other than playing or coaching, may still be active in his pro football career.

Nominees already announced in 2011 have included running back Tiki Barber, quarterback Drew Bledsoe, wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, guard Will Shields, and coaches Bill Cowher, Bill Parcells, and Marty Schottenheimer.

This year's class will increase to well over 260 the number of football greats now permanently honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. In celebration, a 10-day party is traditionally planned in Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival including fireworks displays, live music concerts, and even kids activities.

Opened in 1963, the Pro Football Hall of Fame museum has grown over the decades to become a multi-million dollar complex in tribute to American football greats, and a veritable shrine to American football history, records, stats and trivia.

Formal enshrinement ceremonies will take place on Saturday, August 4, 2012 followed by the biggest preseason exhibition pro game of the year - the AFC-NFC Hall of Fame Game - on Sunday, August 5, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

More about the pro football Hall of Fame around the Web:

Are you ready for some more Pro Hall of Fame history?

On the Web, take a virtual tour, learn more about football greats of the past in profiles & photos, get details on the Hall of Fame Weekend festivities, and what else it means to be forever enshrined in the American Pro Football Hall of Fame ....

Pro Football Hall of Fame - The official site with pictures & updates, inductee news, annual Hall of Fame Weekend & game schedule, museum virtual tour, pictures & video presentations, extensive historical guides including a decade-by-decade timeline, player profiles, plus a complete visitor guide with directions, contact info.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival - Pulling out all the stops in Canton with a 10-day celebration featuring hot air balloon flights, parades, races, concerts & fireworks, and a complete schedule including ticket information and visitor guide.

Pro Football Hall of Fame - Encyclopedic knowledge of its history, the selection process, a list of inductees dating back to 1963 and related links, from Wikipedia.

also see -> NFL TV schedule