Donaldson misses cut for Pro Football Hall of Fame
The former East Rome standout isn’t among this year’s semifinalists.
Despite a local and online campaign to help promote his career in the NFL, the push will have to continue to get Rome native Ray Donaldson in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The hall released the list of 27 semifinalists who are in contention for induction into the hall late Tuesday night. Among them are first-year eligibles Ray Lewis and Randy Moss, but Donaldson didn’t make the cut.
Others in their initial year of eligibility who made this cut are Brian Urlacher, Richard Seymour, Steve Hutchinson and Ronde Barber.
Donaldson, a graduate of East Rome High, was an All-SEC center at Georgia and went on to become the NFL’s most dominant center for 17 seasons, playing for the Colts, Seahawks and Cowboys. He was selected to six Pro Bowls and was on the Dallas team that won Super Bowl XXX.
Four previously eligible players made the semifinals for the first time: LeRoy Butler, Leslie O’Neal, Simeon Rice and Everson Walls. All others on the 2018 list have reached the semifinals in previous years.
Already chosen as finalists are Bobby Beathard as a contributor, and Robert Brazile and Jerry Kramer as senior candidates.
The other semifinalists are Steve Atwater, Tony Boselli, Isaac Bruce, Don Coryell, Roger Craig, Brian Dawkins, Alan Faneca, Torry Holt, Joe Jacoby, Edgerrin James, Jimmy Johnson, Ty Law, John Lynch, Kevin Mawae, Karl Mecklenburg, Terrell Owens and Hines Ward.
The election for the class of 2018 will be held Feb. 3, the day before the Super Bowl, in Minneapolis. Induction ceremonies in Canton, Ohio, will be in August.
Two coaches, Coryell and Johnson, made the cut. In all, there are 12 offensive players (five linemen, five receivers, two running backs) and 13 on defense (seven backs, three linebackers, three linemen).