GREEN BAY – Former Packers head coach Mike Holmgren and wide receiver Sterling Sharpe have advanced to the finalist stage for their respective categories in the Pro Football Hall of Fame nominations. Holmgren is the sole finalist in the coaching category, while Sharpe is one of three finalists chosen by the senior selection committee.
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Their cases will be presented to the entire selection committee during Super Bowl week in February. Among one coach, one contributor, and three senior nominees, a maximum of three of these five finalists can be inducted into the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025, provided they receive 80% approval from the full committee. Holmgren coached the Packers from 1992 to 1998, guiding Green Bay to six playoff appearances within those seven years.
This includes three NFC Central titles, three NFC Championship Game appearances, and consecutive Super Bowls, with a victory in Super Bowl XXXI after the 1996 season, ending a 29-year championship drought for the Packers. Following his tenure in Green Bay, Holmgren also led the Seattle Seahawks to their first Super Bowl appearance after the 2005 season.
Holmgren was a semifinalist last year in the coach/contributor category, which has since been divided, nominating one coach and one contributor for consideration. Ralph Hay is this year’s contributor finalist. Sharpe, a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro, played seven seasons with the Packers (1988-94).
Drafted in the first round from South Carolina, Sharpe set an NFL record for receptions in a single season with 108 in 1992 and surpassed it the following year with 112. He also led the league in touchdown catches twice, including 18 in his final season, before a neck injury ended his career prematurely.
Although Sharpe had previously reached the senior semifinalist stage, this is his first time as a finalist. Senior candidates are not eligible for the modern-day selection process and must have last played in the NFL in 1999 or earlier. The other senior finalists this year along with Sharpe are Maxie Baughan and Jim Tryer. The Packers currently boast 28 individuals in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Should Holmgren and Sharpe both be inducted, it would increase Green Bay’s total to 30, just behind the Chicago Bears’ league-leading 32 enshrinees.
