How Many NFL Players Are in the Hall of Fame?

How Many NFL Players Are in the Hall of Fame?
The answer may surprise you.

Introduction

As of September 2020, there are a total of 326 players in the NFL Hall of Fame. This includes 279 modern-day players, 40 senior players, and 7 coaches. The senior players are those who played at least 25 years ago and the coaches must have been retired for at least five years.

History of the Hall of Fame

The National Football League’s Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional American football. The Hall’s motto is “Commemorating Greatness, Inspiring Achievement.” It is located in Canton, Ohio. It is operated by the National Football League (NFL).

Players are inducted into the Hall of Fame based on their ability to make an impact on the game of professional football. There are currently 310 members of the Hall of Fame, including players, coaches, and contributors. The most recent class was inducted in 2020, and it featured 10 new members.

The first group of inductees was chosen in 1963, and since then, there have been annual induction ceremonies held in Canton each year. The Hall of Fame Game, a preseason game between two NFL teams, is also played in Canton each year.

How Many Players Are in the Hall of Fame?

As of September 2020, there are a total of 326 players in the Hall of Fame.

Who Are the Most Recent Inductees?

The most recent inductees into the NFL Hall of Fame are Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher, Randy Moss, Brian Dawkins, Terell Owens, Jerry Rice, and Steve Atwater.

How Does a Player Get Inducted into the Hall of Fame?

Players can only be inducted into the Hall of Fame if they receive a minimum of 80% of the votes from the selection committee. The selection committee is made up of media members who have been covering the NFL for at least five years.

In order for a player to be eligible for induction, they must have been out of the NFL for at least five years. However, there is a special category for players who were exceptionally talented and had shortened careers due to injury or other factors. These players are known as “senior nominees” and can be nominated by the selection committee without having to wait the five years.

Once a player is nominated, their case is then presented to the full Hall of Fame voting body. This body is made up of 48 members: 46 are media members and 2 are fans who are chosen through an annual contest.

What Are the Criteria for Induction?

Players must have been out of the game for five years before they are eligible for induction, though there is a “seniors committee” that considers players who have been retired for at least 25 years. To be eligible, players must have played their last professional game within the last 50 years.

Players must have played in at least five seasons to be eligible, though there is no specific number of seasons required for coaches and contributors (anyone who has made significant contributions to the game of football, but who never suited up as a player, coach or official).

Once a player or coach has been retired for five years, he becomes eligible for election by one of two committees: the selection committee and the seniors committee. The selection committee is made up of media members and each year it considers between four and eight nominees from the modern-era (players whose careers ended between 1946 and present day). The seniors committee meets once every three years and considers nominees from the pre-modern era (before 1946).

Conclusion

Since there is no one definitive answer to this question, we decided to do some research of our own to try and come up with an estimate. After combing through various lists of Hall of Fame members and doing some cross-checking, we believe that there are approximately 320 NFL players currently in the Hall of Fame.