The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the nine former Coaches who have advanced as Semi-Finalists for the Class of 2026.
The Blue Ribbon Committee will meet virtually on November 18 and select one Finalist.
*Denotes First Year of Eligibility.
*Bill Belichick. With all due respect to this loaded group of candidates, no one can match the resume of Bill Belichick. Beginning his coaching career as a special assistant in Baltimore, Belichick joined the New York Giants in 1979, worked his way up to Defensive Coordinator, and won two Super Bowls in that role. He became Cleveland’s Head Coach, but he posted a winning record in only one of his six years. He received another chance as a Head Coach for New England, and the rest was history. Belichick ushered in the Patriots' dynasty, leading the Pats to six Super Bowl wins, nine Super Bowl appearances (both records as a Head Coach), and presided over the most remarkable run by any Head Coach associated with one team in NFL history. Belichick had a career record of 333-178, a 31-13 playoff record, and also boasts three AP Coach of the Year Awards. He was named to the NFL 100th Anniversary Team.
Tom Coughlin: Coughlin worked his way up the ranks and became the Head Coach of the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995. He was their Head Coach for eight years, bringing them to two AFC Championship Games, the first of which was in the franchise’s second year. After being fired, he joined the New York Giants, where the stoic leader led the G-Men to two Super Bowl wins (XLII & XLVI). He retired with an overall record of 170-150 and is already a member of the New York Giants Ring of Honor and Pride of the Jaguars.
Mike Holmgren. Holmgren won two Super Bowls with San Francisco, first as a Quarterbacks Coach and then as their Offensive Coordinator, and it propelled him to the Head Coaching job at Green Bay in 1992. He led the Packers to a Super Bowl win at SBXXXI. Holmgren accepted the Seattle Seahawks coaching job and took them to a Super Bowl appearance in 2005. A member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame and Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor, Holmgren had a career record of 161-111.
Chuck Knox: An Offensive Line Coach with the New York Jets (1963-66) and for Detroit (1967-72), Knox was elevated to the Head Coach for the Los Angeles Rams in 1973, where he won the AP Coach of the Year award in his first season in that role. He later coached Buffalo (1978-82) and Seattle (1983-91), where he won Coach of the Year Awards for both clubs, and he concluded his career with three years back with the Rams. He had an overall record of 186-147.
Buddy Parker: Parker was left off this stage last year after failing to make the Hall as a Finalist in 2024, but he is back where he belongs: in Hall of Fame consideration. An NFL Champion as a player for the Detroit Lions in 1935, Parker became their Head Coach in 1951, and promptly led them to back-to-back NFL Championships in 1952 and 1953. He left to helm the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1957, where he brought them to respectability. He had a 107-76-9 record.
Dan Reeves. Reeves won a Super Bowl as an Assistant Coach in Dallas and was hired by Denver as their Head Coach in 1981. He led the Broncos to three AFC Titles but could not punch their ticket to a Super Bowl win. After he was let go by Denver, he signed with the Giants and won the 1993 AP Coach of the Year. Later, he took over as Atlanta’s Head Coach, leading them to their first Super Bowl appearance —a loss to his former team (Denver) —and earning his second Coach of the Year award. He had an overall record of 190-165-2 and is a member of the Broncos Ring of Honor.
Marty Schottenheimer. Working his way through the Giants and Lions as the Linebackers Coach, Schottenheimer landed the Defensive Coordinator job in Cleveland in 1980 and was promoted to their Head Coach in 1984. He brought Cleveland to the AFC Finals twice but left for Kansas City in 1989 with another (unsuccessful) trip to the AFC Championship Game (1993). Schottenheimer took some time off and was lured back by Washington, but that lasted only one year. He returned the following season for the San Diego Chargers, where he twice took them to the playoffs. He had an overall record of 200-126-1 and is a member of the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame.
George Seifert. Seifert joined the San Francisco 49ers as their Defensive Backs Coach in 1980 and was elevated to Defensive Coordinator in 1983. He won three Super Bowls as an assistant coach, and in 1989 he was again promoted to Head Coach. Here, he led the Niners to two more Super Bowl wins and to five NFC Championship Games overall. He concluded his career with three years as Carolina’s Head Coach and had an overall record of 114-62.
Mike Shanahan. Shanahan joined Denver as their Wide Receivers Coach in 1984, and a year later, he began a three-year stint as their Offensive Coordinator, where he caught the eye of Raiders owner Al Davis, who hired him to replace Tom Flores. That did not last long, and he was back in Denver but was let go due to a dispute between Quarterback John Elway and Dan Reeves. He went to San Francisco, where he won Super Bowl XXIX as the Offensive Coordinator. He returned to Denver in 1995, leading the Broncos to their first two Super Bowl wins (XXXII & XXXIII) during a 14-year run. He finished his career with three years at Washington, posting an overall record of 170-138. He is also a member of the Broncos Ring of Fame.
The three coaches who were cut were Bill Arnsberger, Alex Gibbs, and Clark Shaugnessy.
We congratulate the candidates who have reached this stage.
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