Former Ravens majority owner Art Modell, tight end Shannon Sharpe and cornerback Rod Woodson are among 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Modell, 83, owned the Browns/Ravens from 1961-2004 and is credited for helping the NFL negotiate lucrative television contracts, while also developing “Monday Night Football.” Modell, who still is a minority owner of the Ravens, was nominated for enshrinement in 2006. But he did not make the final cut largely because he moved the Browns to Baltimore in 1996.
Sharpe played in the NFL from 1990-2003, including during 2000-01 in Baltimore, where he helped lead the Ravens to a victory in Super Bowl XXXV. He was an eight-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion who finished his career with 815 catches for 10,069 yards and 62 touchdowns.
Woodson played in the NFL from 1987 to 2003 with the Steelers, 49ers, Ravens and Raiders. Woodson, an 11-time Pro Bowler, finished his career with 1,163 tackles, 71 interceptions and 13.5 sacks. He’s also a member of the Ravens’ Super Bowl championship team, playing in Baltimore from 1998 to 2001.
The list will be reduced to 15 before the final vote on Jan. 31 in Tampa, Fla., the day before the Super Bowl.
Among those on the list are all-time sack leader Bruce Smith, running back Roger Craig, former commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson.
