One of the most anticipated traditions of Super Bowl week took place again on Saturday. The 2018 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame was announced prior to the NFL Honors awards show.
There are eight new names who will have their busts immortalized in Canton, Ohio. Linebacker Ray Lewis, wide receiver Randy Moss, wide receiver Terrell Owens, linebacker Brian Urlacher and safety Brian Dawkins were selected from a list of 15 modern-era finalists.
Guard Jerry Kramer and linebacker Robert Brazile also had their candidacies greenlit as senior finalists and former general manager Bobby Beathard was elected as a contributor. Each individual had to receive at least 80 percent of the vote from the 48-person selection committee on Saturday.
Lewis spent his entire 17-year career with the Baltimore Ravens and is considered one of the greatest middle linebackers of all-time. He was a 13-time Pro Bowl and ten-time All-Pro pick.
Lewis helped the Ravens win two Super Bowls and was MVP of the game in 2000. He also won the first of his two NFL Defensive Player of the Year Awards that season.
Moss played 14 seasons and is regarded as one of the greatest athletes in league history. He is second to Jerry Rice with 156 career touchdown receptions.
In 2007, Moss set the NFL's single-season touchdown catch record with 23. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro.
Owens was right next to Moss when it comes to great wide receivers of the era. He ranks second in league history with 15,934 receiving yards and his 153 touchdown catches rank third.
Owens was elected to six Pro Bowls and was a five-time first-team All-Pro. He spent the first eight years of his career with the San Francisco 49ers and played for four other franchises.
Urlacher dominated for the Chicago Bears, making eight Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams in 13 seasons. He was named the 2005 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
The following season Urlacher led the Bears to Super Bowl XLI. He holds a Chicago record with 1,779 tackles and ranks third in career games played.
Dawkins is known as one of the hardest-hitting safeties in NFL history. He played 16 seasons, 13 of them with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Dawkins was selected to nine Pro Bowls and was a five-time first-team All-Pro. His #20 jersey has been retired by the franchise and he is a member of the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team.
Kramer spent his 11-year career with the Green Bay Packers and was the lead blocker for the team's famed "Packer Sweep" play. He was a three-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro.
Kramer won five NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls with Green Bay. He is a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame and was elected to the NFL's 50th Anniversary Team.
Brazile struck fear into the opponents he faced and was given the iconic nickname, "Dr. Doom." He had a ten-year career with the Houston Oilers.
Brazile dominated immediately, winning the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 1975. He went on to be selected to seven straight Pro Bowls and six-straight All-Pro teams.
Beathard spent 38 years as an executive in the NFL. He won two Super Bowls as the director of player personnel with the Miami Dolphins and two more as the general manager of the Washington Redskins.
Beathard drafted Pro Football Hall of Famers Art Monk, Russ Grimm and Darrell Green while in Washington. He also spent over a decade as the general manager of the San Diego Chargers.
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Pro Football Hall of Fame Class Announced:
