The NFL has announced the Hall of Fame class for the 2015 season.
The league confirmed that Junior Seau, Jerome Bettis, Charles Haley, Tim Brown, Will Shields, Mick Tingelhoff, Ron Wolf and Bill Polian will receive their induction into the elite group at Canton, Ohio later this year.
Former San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots linebacker Seau made the cut in his first attempt on the ballot after a dominating 20-year career in the NFL. However, he will receive the honour posthumously following his death in 2012.
Bettis will be inducted due to his level of performances while a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, as he rushed for 13,662 yards during his 13-year career, 10 of which he spent with the AFC North outfit.
Five-time Super Bowl winner Haley enjoyed a successful career in the defenses of the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys, being part of two football dynasties as well as notching over 100 sacks in his career.
Wide receiver Brown recorded nine seasons of over 1,000 receiving yards in his spells with the Oakland Raiders and the Los Angeles Rams, which helped him to a career total of 1,094 receptions for 14,394 yard and 100 touchdowns.
Former Kansas City Chiefs guard Shields made 12 Pro Bowls during his career and was also named in the NFL team of the 2000s. He received the nod for the Hall of Fame on his fourth attempt.
Tingelhoff, 74, is oldest player entering the class of 2015. He enjoyed a 17-year career in the offensive line of the Minnesota Vikings in the 1960s and 1970s, during which time he received five nods to the All-Pro team and also had his no. 53 shirt retired by the Vikings.
Two general managers also made the class of 2015. Wolf sculpted Super Bowl-winning teams with the Los Angeles Raiders and the Green Bay Packers in nearly 50 years in the NFL, while Polian made the cut due to his exploits with the Buffalo Bills and the Indianapolis Colts.
The eight men will be inducted during the Hall of Fame week in August later this year.
Simon Sinclair
