The Pro Football Hall of Fame (truly the correct term versus NFL Hall of Fame) will announce the 2011 class of inductees this afternoon at 4:00pm pacific on NFL Network. This year's list of finalists includes several players that spent some amount of time with the 49ers. Deion Sanders is the most high profile player to play for the 49ers. He was part of the superstar-filled 1994 Super Bowl team and then quickly left town for big bucks from Jerry Jones. I can't imagine any reason he does not get in on the first ballot. As much as he can annoy people and as weak as his tackling could be, he was as much a shutdown corner as we'll see. He definitely lived up to his Primetime nickname.
The next most prominent former 49ers player would be Charles Haley. I mention him as prominent because he spent a sizable chunk of his NFL career with the 49ers, playing for the team from 1986 to 1991, and then again in 1999 before retiring. There are a numerous stories about Haley's time with the 49ers and his eventual departure to the Cowboys, but Haley was a beast for the 49ers Super Bowl teams, sacking the quarterback 37.5 times between 1988 and 1990. He finished his career with approximately 100 sacks, but it probably won't be enough to get him in this time around.
The remaining ex-49ers are Richard Dent and Chris Doleman. Dent was more well known as a member of the Chicago Bears, but he spent 1994 with the 49ers. Doleman was more well known as a member of the Minnesota Vikings, but he spent 1996-1998 with the 49ers.