Syracuse alum Tom Coughlin among semifinalists for Football Hall of Fame

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Two-time winning Super Bowl coaches Tom Coughlin and Mike Shanahan and team owners Robert Kraft and Virginia McCaskey were among the 60 semifinalists announced Wednesday for the 2024 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Hall’s 12-person Seniors Committee trimmed a list of eligible player nominees to 31. Each semifinalist played his last game in professional football no later than 1998. Separately, the Hall’s 12-person Coach/Contributor Committee reduced the list of nominated candidates to 29 semifinalists. Unlike in February when cornerback Darrelle Revis and offensive lineman Joe Thomas were selected for enshrinement in their first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame, none of the 31 players appears to be a lock for induction. Coughlin, who was born in Waterloo and played football for Syracuse University, coached the New York Giants from 2004-15, leading them to Super Bowl victories over the New England Patriots after the 2007 and ‘11 seasons. His career also included assistant coaching at SU, and head coaching for RIT and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Shanahan led the Denver Broncos to Super Bowl titles after the 1997 and ‘98 seasons. He went 178-144 overall with three teams, including a 46-10 mark from 1996-1998, an NFL record for wins in a three-year span. McCaskey, who turned 100 on Jan. 5, became principal owner of the Chicago Bears in 1983 upon the death of her father, Hall of Famer George Halas. Kraft has owned the New England Patriots since 1994. His teams have won six Super Bowls, all of them with coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. The respective selection committees now will consider the candidates and will vote to determine 12 finalists from each group. The results of those votes will be announced July 27. Coach/Contributor Committee members will meet Aug. 15 to select one candidate for final consideration for the next year’s Hall of Fame class. The Seniors Committee will meet Aug. 22 and may select up to three candidates for final consideration. Revis, Thomas, Ronde Barber, Chuck Howley, Joe Klecko, Ken Riley, Zach Thomas, DeMarcus Ware and Don Coryell will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 3.