CLEVELAND — The process for selecting the Pro Football Hall of Fame's class of 2025 has begun, and two Browns giants are among 60 senior candidates still under consideration.
Former linebacker Clay Matthews Jr. and offensive lineman Dick Schafrath have advanced to the next stage of the selection process, making the cut from a list of 182 nominees examined by the Seniors Screening Committee. The ex-players all ended their careers in 1999 or earlier, allowing their cases to be reviewed as seniors rather than as modern-era nominees.
Part of the Canton museum's new selection bylaws, the Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee will next work to whittle down the group of 60 to three senior finalists for enshrinement, with other panels also choosing one former coach and one former contributor. Of those five total names, "no more than three nor fewer than one" will be elected to the Hall of Fame.
Matthews' candidacy has gained traction in recent years, notably when he was named a finalist in his last year on the modern-era ballot before falling short of election. A four-time Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro in 1984, Matthews spent 15 seasons in Cleveland and remains the franchise's unofficial leader in tackles, while his official team sacks record stood for 29 years before being broken by Myles Garrett in 2022. He also spent three years with the Atlanta Falcons, and retired in 1996 with 82 1/2 recorded sacks and 16 interceptions.
Unlike Matthews, Schafrath has rarely been under serious Hall of Fame consideration, but that doesn't mean his resume can't stack up against anybody. Originally a defensive end as a rookie in 1959, he moved to left tackle the following season, and stayed there for the next 12 years while missing only two games. A six-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro, he was arguably the greatest member of an elite offensive line that helped the Browns win their last NFL championship in 1964.
Besides his exploits in Cleveland, Schafrath was a star at Wooster High School and national title winner at Ohio State, and after his career was over served 14 years in the Ohio Senate. Sadly, the Buckeye State icon died in August of 2021 at the age of 84.
Along with Schafrath and Matthews, three other former Browns are included with the possible senior inductees, though they're mostly known for their brilliance with other teams. For instance, Everson Walls was an All-Pro defensive back with the Dallas Cowboys and Super Bowl champion with the Giants before spending parts of the 1992 and '93 seasons with Cleveland. The same is true for linebacker and Walls' ex-teammate Carl Banks, a stalwart for New York's incredible 1980s defense whom Bill Belichick brought over to start for the Browns in 1994 and '95.
There's also defensive end Jim Marshall, a Columbus East High School grad who earned All-America honors at Ohio State as a teammate of Schafrath. Marshall spent his 1960 rookie season in Cleveland, but was traded along with Paul Dickson to the Vikings in exchange for draft picks. It remains one of the worst trades in Browns history, as Marshall became an anchor of Minnesota's legendary "Purple People Eaters" front four.
The Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee "will make additional reductions in increments over the next several weeks" before eventually settling on three finalists by "late fall." The Hall of Fame's full class of 2025 will then be announced during the NFL Honors on the Thursday before the Super Bowl.
The remaining 55 senior candidates are as follows:
QUARTERBACKS
- Ken Anderson
- Charlie Conerly
- Roman Gabriel
- Jack Kemp
- Jim Plunkett
RUNNING BACKS
- Alan Ameche
- Ottis Anderson
- Larry Brown
- Roger Craig
- Chuck Foreman
- Cecil Isbell
- Paul "Tank" Younger
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
- Mark Clayton
- Isaac Curtis
- Boyd Dowler
- Henry Ellard
- Harold Jackson
- Billy "White Shoes" Johnson
- Stanley Morgan
- Art Powell
- Sterling Sharpe
- Otis Taylor
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
- Ed Budde
- Ox Emerson
- Bill Fralic
- Chris Hinton
- Joe Jacoby
- Mike Kenn
- Bob Kuechenberg
- George Kunz
- Ralph Neely
- Jim Tyrer
- Al Wistert
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
- L.C. Greenwood
- Ed "Too Tall" Jones
- Harvey Martin
- Leslie O'Neal
- Bill Stanfill
LINEBACKERS
- Maxie Baughan
- Bill Bergey
- Joe Fortunato
- Larry Grantham
- Lee Roy Jordan
- Tommy Nobis
- Andy Russell
- Pat Swilling
- Phil Villapiano
DEFENSIVE BACKS
- Dick Anderson
- Deron Cherry
- Pat Fischer
- Lester Hayes
- Albert Lewis
- Eddie Meador
- Lemar Parrish
SPECIAL TEAMS
- Steve Tasker
