Hall of Fame Cuts 26 Selectors With 403 Years of Combined Experience

Four selectors with more than 30 years of service are among 25 known departures as the Hall reduces its committee from 50 members to 28.

By PAUL KUHARSKY

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Pro Football Hall of Fame's dramatic reduction of its Selection Committee is eliminating some of its longest-serving members.

Rick Gosselin, who served for 31 years, is out. He was the committee's biggest proponent of forgotten seniors, making cases for players who slipped through the cracks after their modern-era eligibility passed. His deep affection for the history of the game made him a committee standout.

The Hall has now eliminated Seniors as a separate category, doing away with expiring eligibility and grouping all players together.

Also off the committee are Frank Cooney after 33 years, longtime Houston representative John McClain after 33 and Cleveland representative Tony Grossi after 31.

Paul Domowitch, who represented Philadelphia for 25 years, tweeted that he was informed he's no longer on the panel. Ron Borges, who represented New England for 24 years, Arizona's Kent Somers (21) and Minnesota's Mark Craig (18) are also out.

I announced Friday that I received a call informing me I would not remain on the committee after 11 years.

The committee is being reduced from 50 members to 28 members none of which will be connected to team markets. Annually, 25 will vote, and three will participate without voting, with voting status determined each year.

Three former selectors -- D, Orlando Ledbetter, Craig and Barry Wilner -- are among those will serve on the screening committee.

The Hall has not yet announced the new committee. But my reporting has revealed 26 cuts and 11 who are being retained. That suggests the remaining 13 will also be kept.

Hall of Fame Cuts 26 Selectors With 403 Years of Experience

Rick Gosselin (31, Dallas)

Frank Cooney (33, at large)

John McClain (33, Houston)

Tony Grossi (31, Cleveland)

Paul Domowitch, (25, Philadelphia 

Ron Borges (24, New England)

Kent Somers (21, Arizona)

Marc Craig (18, Minnesota)

Darin Gantt (16, Carolina)

D. Orlando Ledbetter, (16, Atlanta) 

Clark Judge, (16, at large)

Alex Marvex (15, at large)

Barry Wilner (15, at large)

Jason Cole (14, at large, announced on X)

Geoff Hobson, (13, Cincinnati)

Armando Salguero (12, Miami)

Mary Kay Cabot (11, at large)

Paul Kuharsky (11, Tennessee)

Matt Maiocco (10, San Francisco)

Tony Dungy, (6, Hall of Famer, at large)

Bill Polian (6, Hall of Famer, at large)

Lisa Salters (6, at large)

Joel Bussert (4, at large)

Gerry Dulac, (3, Pittsburgh) 

Paul Gutierrez, (2, Las Vegas)

Rich Cimini, (1 NY Jets)

Per Cooney's reporting, Hall of Famer James Lofton surrendered his spot before the culling process began.

Those 26 account for at least 403 combined years on the committee, an average of over 15 years per departing selector.

One stated purpose of returning to an in-person selection meeting with a smaller committee is to encourage more robust debate. 

I spent 11 years in those meetings. Several people on the cut list were among the most willing to challenge an argument or push a discussion in another direction. A few selectors who may remain rarely spoke.

Update Sept 17, 2:16 PM CT

Who Is Staying on the Hall of Fame Committee

The Hall has now published a list of the new committee.

It includes these holdovers, listed with their previous connections:

Howard Balzer (LA Rams)

Jarrett Bell (Washington)

Dave Birkett (Detroit)

Vic Carucci (Buffalo)

Mike Chappell (Indianapolis)

Pete Dougherty (Green Bay)

Jeff Duncan (New Orleans)

Dan Fouts (Hall of Famer, at large)

Scott Garceau (Baltimore)

Vahe Gregorian (Kansas City)

Lindsay Jones (at large)

Ira Kaufman (Tampa Bay)

Ross Ketover (at large)

Sam Kouvaris (Jacksonville)

Jeff Legwold (Denver)

Gary Myers (NY Giants)

Sal Paolantonio (at large)

Dan Pompei (Chicago)

Mike Sando (Seattle)

Jim Trotter (at large)

Calvin Watkins (was Pro Football Writers of America rep)

Charean Williams (at large)

Eric Williams (LA Chargers)

Gregorian made headlines after acknowledging he did not vote for Bill Belichick, who failed to gain election in his first year of eligibility. Gregorian wrote that he would have supported Belichick in a straight up-or-down vote but, forced to choose three of five candidates in the combined Seniors/Coach/Contributor group, prioritized senior candidates whose opportunities were more limited.

Kaufman broke protocol by revealing before the official announcement at NFL Honors that Eli Manning didn’t make the cut in 2025.

The Hall also added five new voters:

Jared Allen, Hall of Famer

Bob Glauber, author and former panelist

Nicki Jhabvala, Pro Football Writers of America president

Rob Maaddi, Associated Press

Will Shields, Hall of Famer.