The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced the 26 semifinalists for this year’s class, and it just about wiped out the Raiders presence among them. Where there were 6 former Raiders in the initial list of 94 nominees, now there is just one — Roger Craig, who is best known for his time with the 49ers before spending just one of his 11 NFL seasons in Silver & Black.
The other semifinalists are as follows: tackle Tony Boselli, wide receiver Isaac Bruce, tackle Chris Hinton, wide receiver Torry Holt, head coach Jimmy Johnson, offensive tackle Mike Kenn, cornerback Ty Law, linebacker Clay Matthews, guard Kevin Mawae, linebacker Karl Mecklenburg and safety Darren Woodson.
The Raiders players who were among the initial list of 94 nominees that were eliminated were OT Jim Lachey, OG Steve Wisniewski, CB Eric Allen, CB Albert Lewis, HC Tom Flores.
Craig was named to 4 Pro Bowls and was a 1-time All Pro. He won three Super Bowl rings in San Francisco. He moved on to play one season for the Raiders before spending the final two seasons of his career in Minnesota.
Lachey spent even less time with the Raiders, with just one game in Silver & Black in 1988. He started his career in San Diego and finished his career in Washington. He was a three-time Pro Bowler and three-time All Pro.
Wisniewski was a career Raider. In his 13 seasons, he went to 8 Pro Bowls at the left guard spot and was named All Pro twice. He missed two games in his entire career and didn't miss a game over his final decade in the NFL.
Allen spent his first ten NFL seasons with the Eagles and Saints, where he went to six Pro Bowls and was named All Pro once. He joined the Raiders in 1998 and played his final four season with the Raiders. He finished with a 54 career interceptions.
Lewis played 16 seasons in the NFL. The first 11 of those seasons were in Kansas City where he went to four Pro Bowls and was named All Pro twice. He spent the final 5 seasons of his career with the Raiders.
Flores was the Raiders head coach for nine seasons from 1979-87. During that time he was 83-53 and won two Super Bowls. He was an assistant coach on the Raiders Super Bowl II team in 1977 as well. He was the NFL's first minority head coach. With Tony Dungy getting inducted this year, it raised even more questions as to how Flores is still not inducted to the hall.
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