First-time Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists Joe Thomas and Darrelle Revis lead the nine-member Class of 2023 that will be inducted in Canton, Ohio, in August.
The results of voting were announced Thursday night during the NFL Honors show in Phoenix. Players needed 80 percent approval from the Selection Committee, which met online this week.
The class also includes three finalists from the Seniors category: Chuck Howley, Joe Klecko and Ken Riley, along with Don Coryell, a finalist in the coach/contributor category.
Also elected were DeMarcus Ware, Ronde Barber and Zach Thomas. It was Ware’s second year as a finalist, Barber’s third and Zach Thomas’ fourth.
Joe Thomas was an offensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns from 2007-17. Revis, a cornerback, played two stints with the New York Jets and one each with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots and Kansas Chiefs from 2007-17.
Howley, a linebacker, played two seasons for the Chicago Bears and 13 for the Dallas Cowboys in a career that ended in 1973. Klecko spent 11 years with the Jets and a final season with the Indianapolis Colts in 1988. Riley, elected posthumously, spent his entire 15-season career with the Bengals, from 1969-83.
Coryell was a head coach for 14 seasons, first with the then-St. Louis Cardinals from 1973-77 and then from 1978-86 as the architect of “Air Coryell” for the then-San Diego Chargers.
Ware, a linebacker/defensive end, played for the Cowboys and Denver Broncos in a career that ran from 2005-16. Barber spent his entire 16-season career with the Buccaneers, 1997-2012. Zach Thomas played 13 seasons, the first 12 with the Miami Dolphins before finishing with the Cowboys in 2008.
–Field Level Media