IRVING, Texas --Former Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells and three of his ex-players -- quarterback Drew Bledsoe, wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson and kicker Mike Vanderjagt -- are among 11 first-year eligible modern-era candidates for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2012.
Parcells won two Super Bowls with the Giants and had a 34-30 record as Cowboys head coach from 2003-06. Johnson played in Dallas from 2004-05; Bledsoe started one and a half seasons at quarterback before Tony Romo took over midway through the 2006 season; and Vanderjagt kicked for part of the 2006 season.
The 103-person preliminary list for the 2012 class includes 71 players, 14 coaches and 18 contributors, including former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and longtime team owners Bud Adams, Jr., Jack Kent Cooke, Ed DeBartolo, Jr., and Art Modell.
The list will be trimmed to 25 semifinalists in November and will be further reduced by a mail ballot to 15 modern-era finalists in early January.
The final list of nominees that will be considered for election will consist of the 15 modern-era finalists and the two senior nominees, former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jack Butler and former Detroit Lions guard Dick Stanfel, who were selected this last month by the Hall of Fame's Senior Selection Committee.
