Pro Football Hall of Fame 2014: Roger Craig, Eddie DeBartolo, Charles Haley among 49ers semifinalists

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced their 2014 semifinalists on Thursday evening, and the 49ers have four individuals with ties to the organization. Roger Craig, Eddie DeBartolo, Charles Haley and Kevin Greene all made this cut. The next cut is to a group of finalists on January 8. If it is similar to last year, there will then be a pair of votes Super Bowl weekend. The first will cut it to ten players, and the second will cut it to the five-person enshrinement class.

Craig, DeBartolo and Haley have all been finalists at one point or another. Craig was a finalist in 2010, but has not made it past the semifinal stage since. DeBartolo and Haley were both finalists last year. My guess is Haley is the first of that group to make the Hall. Craig continues to fly under the radar for his contributions to those great 49ers teams of the 1980s. I think his best bet for enshrinement will be through the veteran's committee.

As for Eddie DeBartolo? Your guess is as good as mine. If inducted, he would be the first "modern" owner in so much as he took over the team after the NFL-AFL merger. His work would be about what he did specifically for his team, and not necessarily his involvement across the league. He helped influenced modern owners with how they provide for their players, but we'll see if that's enough.

Notable 49ers that did not make the semifinalists include Bryant Young and Ricky Watters. I'm not shocked BY did not make the semifinalists, but it's still a little disappointing. I'm not holding my breath for BY to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but it'd be nice to make that initial cut.