Steelers’ Faneca falls shy of Hall of Fame — again
Former Steelers offensive lineman Alan Faneca will have to wait at least one more year to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In his fifth year as a finalist for induction, Faneca was not one of the five former players voted in Saturday. His teammate, Troy Polamalu, did receive enough votes and will join Donnie Shell and Bill Cowher as the other Steelers to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame museum in Canton, Ohio, this summer.
Faneca was a first-team All-Pro six times. He is the only guard in NFL history with six first-team All-Pro honors not in the Hall of Fame. He will be eligible again next year.
Faneca appeared on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s North Shore Podcast earlier this week and discussed his distaste for the process.
“Who knows what goes on inside that room?” Faneca said. “Their decision process is beyond me. I think it’s slightly political, a little bit. But we’re hopeful.”
Faneca has been competing against a number of offensive linemen in recent years. Former Titans and Jets center Kevin Mawae finally broke the logjam last year when he was inducted.
Offensive lineman Steve Hutchinson, a five-time first-team All-Pro from the same era as Faneca was inducted into Saturday’s class. Tony Boselli, a threetime first-team All-Pro who was among the finalists this year along with Faneca, did not make it.
“I do get the restrictions,” Faneca said. “New guys come up every year. What I tell everybody is it’s a process. It’s not the best process once you’ve been in it. But it is a process.”
Faneca spent 10 seasons with the Steelers before leaving in free agency to play two years with the New York Jets in 2008 and 2009. His final year was 2010 when he played for the Arizona Cardinals.
Faneca played in 206 NFL games, with 201 starts.