Randy Gradishar, Mike Shanahan among Hall of Fame semifinalists

Randy Gradishar and Mike Shanahan have resumes at least the equal of inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But to the consternation of Denver Broncos fans, they continue to wait.

Those two Broncos Ring of Famers — along with Ring of Fame coach Dan Reeves and longtime assistant and offensive-line guru Alex Gibbs — are among 60 semifinalists in the coach, contributor and seniors categories announced by the Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

Reeves also possesses a strong Hall of Fame case, and his absence remains perplexing. The other two head coaches who guided their teams to four Super Bowls but lost them all are Bud Grant and Marv Levy, who are long since in the Hall of Fame. Yet Reeves remains on the outside looking in. Sadly, his selection would be a posthumous one; he died Jan. 1, 2022 due to dementia complications.

Gibbs, Reeves and Shanahan are among 29 coaches or contributors to make the semifinalist cut. On July 27, the Hall of Fame will trim that group to 12 finalists. From that dozen, just one nominee will emerge, to be chosen Aug. 15. The full Hall of Fame selection committee will vote on that single nominee next winter.

Among the competition for Shanahan and Reeves are two other men who won a pair of Super Bowls as head coaches: George Seifert and Tom Coughlin. It also includes a pair of current owners — Patriots boss Robert Kraft and Bears principal owner Virginia McCaskey. Former owners, other coaches, decorated scouts and personnel executives and even a pair of referees are on the list.

As for Gradishar, he is one of 31 former players to earn seniors semifinalist nominations. That group of 31 will shrink to 12 finalists on July 27. Gradishar made that cut last year, but was not selected as a nominee.

Up to three of the 31 seniors semifinalists will ultimately be chosen as nominees Aug. 22.

Gradishar was a Hall of Fame finalist from the primary pool in 2008. He was subsequently passed over for selection from the seniors committee over the years, including in 2020, when the Hall of Fame had a special “centennial class” to promote the 100th anniversary of the NFL.

But Denver can’t complain about a lack of Hall of Famers anymore. Recent years saw a flurry of Broncos enter the hallowed halls, including Ring of Famers Steve Atwater, Champ Bailey, Pat Bowlen, Terrell Davis, John Lynch and Peyton Manning.

Another semifinalist with a Broncos connection is Chris Hinton. The Broncos selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft. Shortly thereafter, they dealt him to the Baltimore Colts as part of the John Elway trade.

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