Owens, Craig among 2016 Hall of Fame semifinalists

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Wide receiver Terrell Owens, who played the first eight seasons of his NFL career with the 49ers, was among the three first-year eligible candidates named as semifinalists Tuesday for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2016.

Owens is joined by quarterback Brett Favre and guard Alan Faneca as the first-year eligible candidates who were cut from the original 108 Hall of Fame nominees.

Running back Roger Craig, who played most of his career with the 49ers, is a semifinalist for the eighth consecutive year. Craig became the first player in NFL history to have 1,000 yards both as a rusher and receiver when he accomplished the feat in 1985. Craig also played for the Raiders in 1991.

Owens was a six-time Pro Bowl performer who ranks second in NFL history behind Jerry Rice with 15,934 receiving yards. He is third in receiving touchdowns (153) and sixth in career receptions (1,078). But the controversial receiver had a difficult time finding a steady work place after the 49ers traded him in 2004. Owens played for five different teams in his final eight seasons.

The list of 25 semifinalists will be reduced by mail ballot to 15 modern-era finalists in January. That list increases to 18 finalists with the inclusion of the recommended nominees of the Hall of Fame’s Contributors and Seniors Committees.

Former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo is already a finalist based on his selection as the nominee in the contributor category. There are two senior finalists who also advance to the finalist stage: Raiders' Super Bowl-winning quarterback Ken Stabler and 1950s guard Dick Stanfel.

Pass-rusher Kevin Greene and wide receiver Isaac Bruce, who are repeat semifinalists, also played short periods of time with the 49ers.

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DeBartolo, Stabler and Stanfel will be voted on separately and, like all other finalists, must receive an 80 percent vote from the selection committee during the annual meeting. The final votes for the Hall of Fame will occur on Saturday, Feb. 6, in San Francisco, the day before Super Bowl 50.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s bylaws stipulate that between four and eight new members will be selected each year. No more than five Modern-Era Finalists can be elected in a given year.

Here is the complete list of the 25 modern-era nominees:

Morten Andersen
K – 1982-1994 New Orleans Saints, 1995-2000, 2006-07 Atlanta Falcons, 2001 New York Giants, 2002-03 Kansas City Chiefs, 2004 Minnesota Vikings | (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2013-16)

Steve Atwater
S – 1989-1998 Denver Broncos, 1999 New York Jets | (Times as a Semifinalist: 5 – 2012-16)

Tony Boselli
T – 1995-2001 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2002 Houston Texans (injured reserve) | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2016)

Isaac Bruce
WR – 1994-2007 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 2008-09 San Francisco 49ers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

Don Coryell
Coach – 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 8 – 2005, 2010-16)

Roger Craig
RB – 1983-1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-93 Minnesota Vikings | (Times as a Semifinalist: 8 – 2009-16)

Terrell Davis
RB – 1995-2001 Denver Broncos | (Times as a Semifinalist: 10 – 2007-2016)

Tony Dungy
Coach – 1996-2001 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2002-08 Indianapolis Colts | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2014-16)

Alan Faneca
G - 1998-2007 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2008-09 New York Jets, 2010 Arizona Cardinals | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2016)

Brett Favre
QB – 1991 Atlanta Falcons, 1992-2007 Green Bay Packers, 2008 New York Jets, 2009-2010 Minnesota Vikings | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2016)

Kevin Greene
LB/DE – 1985-1992 Los Angeles Rams, 1993-95 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Carolina Panthers, 1997 San Francisco 49ers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 10 – 2007-2016)

Marvin Harrison
WR – 1996-2008 Indianapolis Colts | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2014-16)

Torry Holt
WR – 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars| (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

Joe Jacoby
T – 1981-1993 Washington | (Times as a Semifinalist: 6 – 2005, 2008, 2013-16)

Edgerrin James
RB – 1999-2005 Indianapolis Colts, 2006-08 Arizona Cardinals, 2009 Seattle Seahawks | (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

Jimmy Johnson
Coach – 1989-1993 Dallas Cowboys, 1996-99 Miami Dolphins | (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2014-16)

Mike Kenn
T – 1978-1994 Atlanta Falcons| (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

Ty Law
CB – 1995-2004 New England Patriots, 2005, 2008 New York Jets, 2006- 07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2009 Denver Broncos| (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

John Lynch
FS – 1993-2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004-07 Denver Broncos | (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2013-16)

Kevin Mawae
C/G – 1994-97 Seattle Seahawks, 1998-2005 New York Jets, 2006-09 Tennessee Titans| (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

Karl Mecklenburg
LB – 1983-1994 Denver Broncos | (Times as a Semifinalist: 5 – 2012-16)

Sam Mills
LB – 1986-1994 New Orleans Saints, 1995-97 Carolina Panthers | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2016)

Terrell Owens
WR – 1996-2003 San Francisco 49ers, 2004-05 Philadelphia Eagles, 2006-08 Dallas Cowboys, 2009 Buffalo Bills, 2010 Cincinnati Bengals | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2016)

Orlando Pace
T – 1997-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Chicago Bears| (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

Kurt Warner
QB – 1998-2003 St. Louis Rams, 2004 New York Giants, 2005-09 Arizona Cardinals| (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2015-16)

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