Bowlen, Bailey among Broncos semifinalists for 2019 Hall of Fame class
Nov 20, 2018, 7:04 PM
Owner Pat Bowlen and former All-Pro cornerback Champ Bailey are among a half-dozen Denver Broncos semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2019, the organization announced Tuesday evening.
Bowlen’s nomination comes as a contributor after being nominated in August by a Hall subcommittee.
Bailey joins tight end Tony Gonzalez and safety Ed Reed as first-year eligible players to make the semifinal list of 25 players.
Both Bowlen and Bailey join safeties Steve Atwater and John Lynch and linebacker Karl Mecklenburg as semifinalists, as well as cornerback Ty Law, who only played for the Broncos one season (2009).
The list of semifinalists was reduced from an initial group of 103 nominees announced in September and will again be whittled down to 15 on Jan 3.
Along with two contributor finalists and a senior finalist, the 15 remaining candidates will be voted upon on Feb. 2, the day before Super Bowl LIII, for enshrinement.
While Bowlen and fellow contributor candidate Gil Brandt will be judged in a separate vote, they both still need 80 percent of the vote to earn enshrinement.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019 will be announced during the two-hour awards special “NFL Honors,” which will air nationally on the eve of the Super Bowl.
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