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Eric Williams
NFC West Writer
One of the most prolific pass-catchers in NFL history and a top-five sack artist are among the 25 semifinalists selected as candidates for election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Former tight end Antonio Gates and legendary edge rusher Julius Peppers made the cut in their first year of eligibility.
An eight-time Pro Bowl selection and five-time All-Pro, Gates totaled 955 receptions for 11,841 yards and 116 touchdowns, the most TD catches by a tight end in NFL history. Gates is also a member of the NFL’s All Decade team (2000-09). He spent all 16 of his NFL seasons with the Chargers.
Selected No. 2 overall in the 2003 draft by the Carolina Panthers, Peppers also played for the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers before finishing his 17-year career back in Carolina.
Peppers totaled 159.5 sacks, No. 4 in league history since sacks became an official statistic. He finished with double-digit sacks in 10 seasons. Only Hall of Famers Bruce Smith (13) and Reggie White (12) had more.
Both Gates and Peppers were standout basketball players in college before developing into elite football players in the NFL. Gates played at Kent State, where he took the Golden Flashes to the Elite Eight in 2002. Peppers played at North Carolina, where he was a reserve on the 1999-2000 Tar Heels team that made the Final Four.
The list of semifinalists was reduced from an initial group of 173 nominees announced in September and includes 18 players who were semifinalists for the class of 2023.
To be considered for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a nominated individual must not have participated as an active player for five consecutive seasons.
One other player reached the Semifinalist stage for the first time: Tiki Barber, who retired following the 2006 season.
That list will be trimmed to 15 early next year, with the class of 2024 announced in advance of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas live on the…
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Publish date : 2023-11-28 14:27:15
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