Pro Football HOF revises admission requirements for coaches
Super Bowl-winning coaches Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll may be closer to Canton now that the Pro Football Hall of Fame has overhauled its selection process, shortening the amount of time a coach must wait to be considered for inclusion. But other changes to the process could raise the bar for inclusion.
Coaches will now have to wait just one year for admission after retirement, compared to the previous five years, the Hall of Fame announced Friday.
While Belichick hasn’t officially retired from coaching after retiring from the New England Patriots earlier this year, the changes could set him up for failure in 2026 if he decides to call it a day. The same goes for Carroll, who retired from the Seattle Seahawks after the 2023 season.
The revisions also include another benefit for coaches, as it separates them from the contributor category, meaning their candidacy will only be judged against other coaches. The change ensures that at least one coach and one contributor will be among the 20 finalists that the selection committee will discuss and vote on when it meets prior to the Super Bowl.
While it appears that Belichick in particular will be immediately inducted into the Hall of Fame when he first becomes eligible, the announced changes could pave the way for less-qualified coaches and staffers.
The new process will see three Senior candidates (players who have been retired for at least 25 years), one coach and one staff member go to the final. Once those five are identified, the selectors will vote on three of them, with an 80 percent approval rating required for each candidate to earn selection. Splitting votes could make it more likely that only one or two of the maximum three will advance. The process will pit players against coaches and staff members, a setup that has historically favored players.
The five spots available to modern-era candidates may also be harder to come by under the new format. In the past, the number of finalists was reduced from 15 to 10 to 5. Once the final five were identified, selectors voted “yes” or “no” on each of the final five, with each candidate being established with 80 percent “yes” votes. Under the new format, the number of finalists is reduced from 15 to 10 to 7. At that point, voters will choose their final five, with only those candidates receiving 80 percent approval being considered for embedding. Splitting votes increases the likelihood that candidates will miss the threshold for embedding.
The revisions also call for the creation of two 11-person screening committees, made up of members who are not on the selection committee, that will separately review the full list of nominees. They will take effect with the class of 2025.
Which parties could benefit from this?
Among the contributors who could be at the front of the line based on past votes are Roone Arledge, Robert Kraft, Bucko Kilroy, Art Rooney Jr., Clark Shaughnessy, Lloyd Wells and John Wooten. But past votes are not always indicative of future votes on subcommittee selections — Pompeii
Kraft’s chances of becoming a finalist have improved now that he no longer has to compete with coaches. However, the fact that he has to compete with long-retired players and a coach for three spots makes it difficult to predict what might happen. — Sand
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