Parcells, Martin among Hall finalists

Bill Parcells, who led the Giants to two Super Bowl victories and also coached the Jets for three seasons, and former Jets running back Curtis Martin are among 15 modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2012. The announcement was made Saturday by the Hall of Fame.

The selections will be made by a panel of voters Feb. 4 in Indianapolis, site of Super Bowl XLVI.

Parcells coached the Giants from 1983-90 and won the team's first two Super Bowl titles after the 1986 and 1990 seasons. After stepping down as Giants coach in May 1991, he returned to the sideline as Patriots coach from 1993-96 and led New England to a Super Bowl appearance after the 1996 season. He coached the Jets from 1997-99, served as the team's general manager in 2000 and coached the Dallas Cowboys from 2003-06. He has a regular-season record of 172-130-1 and a playoff record of 11-8.

Martin was drafted by the Patriots in 1995, when Parcells was New England's coach, and Parcells later signed Martin with the Jets in 1998. He went on to become the Jets' all-time leading rusher with 10,302 yards. He finished his career with 14,101 yards, fourth highest in NFL history. Martin, who had at least 1,000 rushing yards from 1995-2004, retired after 2005 because of knee problems.

The other finalists are running back Jerome Bettis, receiver/returner Tim Brown, cornerback Jack Butler, receiver Cris Carter, center Dermontti Dawson, owner Edward DeBartolo Jr., defensive end Chris Doleman, linebacker Kevin Greene, defensive end Charles Haley, defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy, receiver Andre Reed, tackle Willie Roaf, guard Will Shields, guard Dick Stanfel and cornerback Aeneas Williams.