Former Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and guard Alan Faneca are among the 26 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017. Ward is a semifinalist in his first year of eligibility and Faneca was a finalist in 2016.
"You have to take it in stride and enjoy the process," said Faneca, who understands the process better this year after going through it last year. "There is nothing you can do except keep moving along with what you are doing every day."
Ward, who watched Jerome Bettis wait five years to be enshrined, also understands the process.
"I have been through the process and watched him go through it, waiting to get that phone," said Ward. "I am going to sit back and wait."
Normally there are only 25 semifinalists, but because of a tie there are 26 this year. The semifinalists were narrowed from a group of 94 nominees, and will be narrowed to 15 finalists in January.
Check out the greatest photos of Pittsburgh Steelers guard Alan Faneca.
The Hall of Fame Selection Committee will hold their annual meeting on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017 in Houston, Texas, the site of Super Bowl LI. The finalists will go from 15 to 10, and then down to no more than five. The Class of 2017 will be announced during the "NFL Honors" show that evening.
The 2017 Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony will be held in Canton, Ohio on Sat., Aug. 5.
The Steelers have been well represented in the Pro Football Hall of Fame the last few years, with Jerome Bettis a member of the Class of 2015 and Kevin Greene a member of the Class of 2016. The Steelers currently have 24 individuals in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Steelers in the Hall of Fame.
