MAIN Recreation Sports Football 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame

It's the official start of the 2023 NFL preseason as a top AFC team take on a top NFC team at the the Pro Hall of Fame Game in August.

This year, watch for the TV broadcast on NBC when the game kicks off at 8 p.m. ET live from the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, OH on Saturday, August 5, 2023

Meanwhile, Hall of Fame class of 2023 inductees will be honored right next door at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, beginning at noon on Thurday, August 3 with nationwide television coverage on ESPN and the NFL Network.

Plus keep it here for updates including the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame game team matchups, and more on this year's final Hall of Fame inductees announced days before the 2023 Super Bowl.

> Cleveland Browns great Joe Thomas is one of 18 finalists for induction into the Football Hall of Fame class of 2023.

Football Hall of Fame Class of '23

The total list of more than a hundred nominated was reduced to 28 semifinalists in November.

This list was again reduced to 18 finalists in January, The selection committee then chooses the official class of 2023 in February (during Super Bowl week) for eventual enshrinement at the August ceremony.

Finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2023:

Jared Allen, defensive end

Willie Anderson, tackle

Ronde Barber, defensive back

Don Coryell, coach

Dwight Freeney, defensive end

Devin Hester, punt returner/wide receiver

Torry Holt, wide receiver

Chuck Howley, linebacker

Andre Johnson, wide receiver

Joe Klecko, defensive tackle/nose tackle/defensive end

Albert Lewis, defensive back

Darrelle Revis, defensive back

Ken Riley, defensive back

Joe Thomas, tackle

Zach Thomas, linebacker

DeMarcus Ware, linebacker

Reggie Wayne, wide receiver

 

To be considered for Pro Football Hall of Fame election, a nominated player or coach must have been retired at least five years. This year's class will increase to well more than 300 the players and coaches who are now permanently honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

DID YOU KNOW? Hall of Fame fun facts

• What's in a name? The more colorfully-named Hall of Fame inductees have included Elroy (Crazylegs) Hirsch, Frank (Bruiser) Kinard, Dick (Night Train) Lane, Clyde (Bulldog) Turner, Alphonse (Tuffy) Leemans, and "Mean" Joe Greene.

Class of '87: Pete Rozelle, O.J. Simpson, Joe Namath, Roger Staubach.

• "Mean" Joe Greene was inducted in 1987, but remains even more famous for starring in a Coke commercial entitled "Hey, Kid Catch!" which aired during the 1979 Super Bowl.

• One of the most illustrious Hall of Fame classes was inducted in 1985. It included Joe Namath, Pete Rozelle, O.J. Simpson, and Roger Staubach.

• Cal Hubbard is currently the only person in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame (as a player) and the Baseball Hall of Fame (as an umpire).

• Pennsylvania is the state that leads the pack in Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees, with 30 members born in the Keystone state.

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

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 ....

2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame - Check out 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 - Wikipedia - Get a leg up on encyclopedic knowledge of its history, the selection process, a list of inductees dating back to 1963, and related resources.