All Hail John Elway! (StumpJumper)

Our man, the one-and-only John Elway, winningest quarterback in the history of the NFL and personal hero of both ZombyBoy and myself, is the top of the list of semi-finalists for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next year. From the press release:

Former Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway and Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders, both first-year eligible players, head the list of 25 modern-era semi-finalist candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2004. The semi-finalists were chosen by the Hall of Fame’s Board of Selectors from the recently announced list of 67 nominees.

The list of 25 semi-finalists will be reduced by a mail ballot to 13 modern-era candidates. That list will increase to 15 finalist nominees with the addition of the two recommended candidates of the Hall of Fame’s Senior Committee. This year’s Seniors Committee nominees, who were announced in August, are Bob Brown an All-NFL tackle with the Philadelphia Eagles (1964-68), Los Angeles Rams (1969-70), and Oakland Raiders (1971-73) and Bob Hayes, an All-NFL wide receiver with the Dallas Cowboys (1965-1974) and the San Francisco 49ers (1975). The Seniors Committee reviews the qualifications of those players, coaches, and contributors whose careers took place more than 25 years ago. The list of 15 finalists for the Class of 2004 will be announced in mid-January.

Oh, hell yes!

Z, it looks like there could be a trip to Canton for us next year!