2012 NFL Hall Of Fame: Former Seahawks DT Cortez Kennedy Makes Canton With 5 Others

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced on Saturday evening that there will be five new members of inducted into the hallowed halls of Canton this August. Four linemen, one running back and one defensive back made it in:

Congratulations Jack Butler, Dermontti Dawson, Chris Doleman, Cortez Kennedy, Curtis Martin, and Willie Roaf! #PFHOF12

— Pro Football HOF (@ProFootballHOF) February 4, 2012

Jack Butler was a cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1950s and made 52 career interceptions. He was the Senior Committee's selection. Dermontti Dawson was a center for the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 1990s. Chris Doleman was defensive end who played mostly with the Vikings and accumulated 150.5 sacks in his career.

Cortez Kennedy played against the Denver Broncos during the 1990s as a defensive tackle for the Seattle Seahawks. He had 58 career sacks. Curtis Martin was a running back for the Patriots and the Jets, finishing with 14,101 rushing yards for fourth all-time. Willie Roaf played offensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints and closed out his career with the Kansas City Chiefs.

For Terrell Davis, Steve Atwater and Karl Mecklenburg must wait for another year of voting to get in. They made it to the semifinals but were cut during finals voting.

For more on the Broncos, visit Mile High Report. Check out SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

2012 NFL Hall Of Fame Finalists Narrowed To Inductees On Saturday Night

The NFL Hall of Fame Class of 2012 will be announced on Saturday night at 5:30 p.m. ET, and the halls of Canton will have anywhere from four to seven new members. The Denver Broncos won't have any as Steve Atwater, Terrell Davis and Karl Mecklenburg were cut during the previous round of voting. However, the Broncos will certainly be familiar with several of the 17 potential candidates.

Oakland Raiders receiver Tim Brown, who played with the team from 1998-2003, almost became a Broncos player in 1994 when he signed an offer sheet, but the Raiders wound up matching the offer. He had 143 receptions for 1,826 yards and 13 touchdowns in 31 games against the Broncos.

Cortez Kennedy spent his career (1990-2000) with the Seattle Seahawks back when they were an AFC West team. He had plenty of opportunities during the 90s to play against the Broncos.

Bill Parcells won his first Super Bowl with a victory over the Broncos in Jan. 1987 and then spent most of the 90s with the New England Patriots.

Will Shields, like Parcells, is in his first year of eligibility. He spent his entire career (1993-2006) with the Kansas City Chiefs, dealing with the Broncos' pass rush every season.

For more on the Broncos, visit Mile High Report. Check out SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

2012 Pro Football Hall Of Fame Finalists: Broncos' Steve Atwater, Terrell Davis And Karl Mecklenburg Fail To Make Cut

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced its finalists for the Class of 2012 and the Denver Broncos were shut out on the list. Safety Steve Atwater, running back Terrell Davis and linebacker Karl Mecklenburg were among the semifinalists announced back in November. After having Floyd Little and Shannon Sharpe inducted into Canton over the last two years, the Broncos will need to wait another time to add to the team's representation in the hallowed halls of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Bill Parcells and Will Shields are the only first-year eligible candidates who made the final ballot.

Here is the complete list of finalists:

Jerome Bettis – Running Back – 1993-95 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 1996-2005 Pittsburgh Steelers

Tim Brown – Wide Receiver/Kick Returner – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jack Butler* – Cornerback – 1951-59 Pittsburgh Steelers

Cris Carter – Wide Receiver – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins

Dermontti Dawson – Center – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers

Edward DeBartolo, Jr. – Owner – 1977-2000 San Francisco 49ers

Chris Doleman – Defensive End/Linebacker – 1985-1993, 1999 Minnesota Vikings, 1994-95 Atlanta Falcons, 1996-98 San Francisco 49ers

Kevin Greene – Linebacker/Defensive End – 1985-1992 Los Angeles Rams, 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers

Charles Haley – Defensive End/Linebacker – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys

Cortez Kennedy – Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks

Curtis Martin – Running Back – 1995-97 New England Patriots, 1998-2005 New York Jets

Bill Parcells – Coach – 1983-1990 New York Giants, 1993-96 New England Patriots, 1997-99 New York Jets, 2003-06 Dallas Cowboys

Andre Reed – Wide Receiver – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins

Willie Roaf – Tackle – 1993-2001 New Orleans Saints, 2002-05 Kansas City Chiefs

Will Shields – Guard – 1993-2006 Kansas City Chiefs

Dick Stanfel* – Guard – 1952-55 Detroit Lions, 1956-58 Washington Redskins

Aeneas Williams – Cornerback/Safety – 1991-2000 Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, 2001-04 St. Louis Rams

The results of the final voting will be announced on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012, the night before the Super Bowl.

For more on the Broncos, visit Mile High Report. Check out SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

Pro Football Hall Of Fame 2012: Steve Atwater, Karl Mecklenburg Finally Among Semifinalists

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday its semifinalists for induction into the 2012 class. Two former Denver Broncos reached the semifinal round for the first time in their eligibility periods: safety Steve Atwater and linebacker Karl Mecklenburg.

Atwater played the first 10 years of his career with the Broncos and was always known for his hard-hitting ways. The highlight he is perhaps best known for is his punishing hit on Kansas City Chiefs running back Christian Okoye.

Mecklenburg played in 180 career games, all with Denver, and finished with 79 career sacks, second best in team history. He rose from being a 12th round draft pick in 1983 to a six-time Pro Bowler and a defensive leader on teams that went to the Super Bowls. He and Atwater are both members of the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame.

Also joining the those former Broncos is running back Terrell Davis, who has been a semifinalists dating back to 2007.

The ranks of the eligible players has been thinning to the point that there are no sure-fire players for this upcoming election. Guys like Tim Brown, Cris Carter and Curtis Martin are right at the top, but these three Broncos could possibly slip into the mix.

For more on the Broncos, visit Mile High Report. Check out SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

Rod Smith Among Five Denver Broncos On Early 2012 Hall Of Fame List