Parcells, Martin, Young for Hall
5. BILL PARCELLS
Giants, 1983-90
When it seemed like the venerable Giants franchise never would win a Super Bowl, Parcells led them to two titles with his strategy and bravado. Later, he revived the Jets and brought them within one game of the Super Bowl. Credit: AP
Former Giants coach Bill Parcells, former Jets running back Curtis Martin and former Giants general manager George Young are among 26 modern era semifinalists being considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Parcells coached the Giants to their first two Super Bowl championships after the 1986 and 1990 seasons, and later led the Patriots to a Super Bowl after the 1996 season. Parcells coached three seasons with the Jets from 1997-99 and then coached the Cowboys from 2003-06.
Martin, who was drafted by the Patriots when Parcells was the coach, finished his career as the NFL’s fourth all-time leading rusher with 14,101 yards. He’s the Jets’ all-time leading rusher with 10,302 yards and won the NFL rushing title in 2004 with 1,697 yards.
Young joined the Giants as general manager in 1979 and built a two-time Super Bowl championship team by drafting star players that included linebacker Lawrence Taylor, quarterback Phil Simms, running back Joe Morris and tight end Mark Bavaro. He hired Parcells in 1983. Young retired from the Giants after the 1997 season.
The semifinalist list is usually limited to 25, this year there are 26 resulting from a tie for the final position.
The list of 26 semifinalists will be reduced by mail ballot to 15 modern-era finalists. That list increases to 17 finalist nominees with the inclusion of the two recommended candidates of the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee – former Steelers cornerback Jack Butler and former Lions and Redskins guard Dick Stanfel.
The results of the modern-era reduction vote to 15 finalists will be announced in early January, 2012, and the Class of 2012 will be announced on Feb. 4, the day before Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.
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