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A18 SPORTS
Saturday 15 September 2018
Gonzalez, Reed, Fletcher, Bailey 1st-year HOF nominees
By BARRY WILNER Defensive Player of the
AP Pro Football Writer Year, and joined Gonzalez
Tony Gonzalez, the most on the all-decade team.
accomplished tight end Reed won a Super Bowl in
in NFL history, Ed Reed, the 2012 season.
Champ Bailey and London Bailey began his career
Fletcher are first-year eligi- with Washington in 1999 as
ble players among the 102 the seventh overall draft
modern-era nominees for choice. He moved to Den-
the class of 2019 for the Pro ver in 2004, and led the NFL
Football Hall of Fame. in interceptions with 10 in
Gonzalez retired in 2013 af- 2006. Bailey, who also dab-
ter 17 pro seasons in which bled on offense, had 52
he had 1,325 receptions, career picks, made three
second to Jerry Rice on the All-Pro teams and, yes,
career list. A college bas- also was on the all-decade
ketball and football star at In this Oct. 7, 2013, file photo, Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez (88) moves the ball after team of 2000-2010.
California, he was drafted a catch as New York Jets cornerback Darrin Walls (30) defends during the second half of an NFL Fletcher became a start-
13th overall by the Chiefs football game in Atlanta. ing linebacker in St. Louis in
in 1997 and played a doz- Associated Press 1999 and won a Super Bowl.
en seasons in Kansas City. A rare undrafted player to
Gonzalez spent his final five Pro teams and was a mem- for stout units. The 24th interceptions. Among his 64 be nominated for the Hall
seasons with Atlanta, fin- ber of the all-decade team overall draft selection in career picks were returns of Fame, he missed only
ishing with 111 touchdown for 2000-10. 2002, Reed played 11 sea- for touchdowns of 106 and one start from 1999-2013
catches and 15,127 yards Reed and Bailey were sons in Baltimore, three 107 yards. He made five All- with the Rams, Bills and
receiving. He made six All- standout defensive backs times leading the league in Pro squads, was the 2004 Redskins. Fletcher made
four Pro Bowls and finished
his career with 1,380 tack-
les, 23 interceptions and 39
sacks.
Finalists from 2018 who
are nominated again in-
clude running back Edg-
errin James; wide receiver
Isaac Bruce; offensive line-
men Kevin Mawae, Steve
Hutchinson, Alan Faneca
and Tony Boselli; safety
John Lynch; and corner-
back Ty Law.
The roster of nominees
has 47 offensive players,
39 defensive players, five
special teams players and
11 coaches. Among those
coaches are Super Bowl
champions Bill Cowher,
Tom Flores, Mike Holmgren,
Jimmy Johnson and Dick
Vermeil.
The modern-era nominees
will be reduced to 25 semi-
finalists in November and,
from there, to 15 finalists in
January. A senior commit-
tee finalist, former Chiefs
defensive back Johnny
Robinson, and two finalists
from the contributors cat-
egory, Broncos owner Pat
Bowlen and former Cow-
boys executive and current
NFL consultant Gil Brandt,
also have been nominat-
ed.
Voting by the 48-member
Hall of Fame panel will be
held Feb. 2, the day before
the Super Bowl, in Atlanta.
Inductions in the Canton,
Ohio, shrine will be in early
August.q
