Pro Football Hall of Fame: 49ers GM, ex-safety John Lynch named finalist

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John Lynch has been voted as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the sixth consecutive year.

Lynch, who serves as 49ers general manager, was announced Thursday among the list of 15 modern-era finalists. Lynch was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection as a safety with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Denver Broncos.

Former Raiders coach Tom Flores also is a finalist, along with former 49ers receiver Isaac Bruce and former Raiders defensive lineman Richard Seymour. Bruce had his best seasons with the St. Louis Rams before playing his final two seasons with the 49ers. Seymour was a key member of the New England Patriots before ending his career with four years in Oakland. Flores is a first-time finalist in his 24th year of eligibility.

The list of finalists includes three first-time eligible candidates: tight end Tony Gonzalez, cornerback Champ Bailey and safety Ed Reed.

Lynch played college football at Stanford under Bill Walsh before the Bucs selected him in the third round of the 1993 draft.

Gonzalez starred at Cal. He was a first-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1997. Gonzalez ranks behind only Jerry Rice for No. 2 in NFL history with 1,325 receptions.

The annual Hall of Fame selection committee meeting will be held on Saturday, Feb. 2, in Atlanta to elect the Class of 2019.

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The Pro Football Hall of Fame bylaws stipulate that from four to eight new members will be selected for the Hall of Fame each year. No more than five modern-era finalists can be elected in a given year.

Following is an alphabetical list of the 18 finalists, along with number of times each individual has been selected as a finalist:

Steve Atwater, S -- 1989-1998 Denver Broncos, 1999 New York Jets (Times as finalist: 2 – 2016, '19)
Champ Bailey, CB -- 1999-2003 Washington Redskins, 2004-2013 Denver Broncos (Times as finalist: 1 – 2019)
*Pat Bowlen, Owner -- 1984-Present Denver Broncos (Times as finalist: 1 – 2019)
Tony Boselli, OT -- 1995-2001 Jacksonville Jaguars (Times as a finalist: 3 – 2017-19)
*Gil Brandt, Vice President of Player Personnel – 1960-1988 Dallas Cowboys; Contributor – 1995-present NFL.com (Times as finalist: 1 – 2019)
Isaac Bruce, WR -- 1994-2007 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 2008-09 San Francisco 49ers (Times as finalist: 3 – 2017-'19)
Don Coryell, Coach -- 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers (Times as a finalist: 5 – 2010, 2015-'17, '19)
Alan Faneca, G -- 1998-2007 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2008-09 New York Jets, 2010 Arizona Cardinals (Times as a finalist: 4 – 2016-'19)
Tom Flores, Coach -- 1979-1987 Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-94 Seattle Seahawks (Times as finalist: 1 – 2019)
Tony Gonzalez, TE -- 1997-2008 Kansas City Chiefs, 2009-2013 Atlanta Falcons (Times as finalist: 1 – 2019)
Steve Hutchinson, G -- 2001-05 Seattle Seahawks, 2006-2011 Minnesota Vikings, 2012 Tennessee Titans (Times as finalist: 2 – 2018-'19)
Edgerrin James, RB -- 1999-2005 Indianapolis Colts, 2006-08 Arizona Cardinals, 2009 Seattle Seahawks (Times as finalist: 3 – 2016, 2018-'19)
Ty Law, CB -- 1995-2004 New England Patriots, 2005, 2008 New York Jets, 2006-07 Kansas City Chiefs, 2009 Denver Broncos (Times as finalist: 3 – 2017-'19)
John Lynch, FS -- 1993-2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004-07 Denver Broncos (Times as finalist: 6 – 2014-'19)
Kevin Mawae, C/G -- 1994-97 Seattle Seahawks, 1998-2005 New York Jets, 2006-09 Tennessee Titans (Times as finalist: 3 – 2017-'19)
Ed Reed, FS -- 2002-2012 Baltimore Ravens, 2013 New York Jets, 2013 Houston Texans (Times as finalist: 1 – 2019)
#Johnny Robinson, S -- 1960-1971 Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs (Times as finalist: 7 – 1980-'83, 1985-'86, 2019)
Richard Seymour, DE/DT -- 2001-08 New England Patriots, 2009-2012 Oakland Raiders (Times as finalist: 1 – 2019)

*--Contributor nominees
#--Senior nominee

EDITOR'S NOTE: Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area is on the 48-member Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors.

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