Pro Football Hall of Fame announces Class of 2015 semifinalists, includes Roger Craig, Charles Haley

The Pro Football Hall of Fame continued its march on Tuesday toward determining the Class of 2015, as they announced 26 Modern Era semifinalists. This group will be cut down to 15 on January 8, and that will be cut down to the induction class on January 31.

This year, the finalists include four players with some kind of connection to the San Francisco 49ers. The most notable is running back Roger Craig. After that, linebacker/defensive end Charles Haley had serious connections to the 49ers. Finally, wide receiver Isaac Bruce and linebacker/defensive end Kevin Greene each spent a little bit of time with the 49ers. Former owner Eddie DeBartolo will not be part of this class, as he fell short in the vote for the new special contributors section.

Haley has been a finalist each of the last two years, which would hopefully bode well for his eventual induction. Craig on the other hand has fallen short of the finalists recently. Both face a tough task with some serious talent on the ballot. First year semifinalists include quarterback Kurt Warner, wide receivers Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, running back Edgerrin James, offensive linemen Kevin Mawae and Orlando Pace, linebacker Junior Seau, and cornerback back Ty Law.

Here is the full list of semifinalists:

Morten Andersen, K
Steve Atwater, S
Jerome Bettis, RB
Tim Brown, WR/KR
Isaac Bruce, WR
Don Coryell, Coach
Roger Craig, RB
Terrell Davis, RB
Tony Dungy, Coach
Kevin Greene, LB/DE
Charles Haley, DE/LB
Marvin Harrison, WR
Torry Holt, WR
Joe Jacoby, T
Edgerrin James, RB
Jimmy Johnson, Coach
Mike Kenn, T
Ty Law, CB
John Lynch, FS
Kevin Mawae, C/G
Karl Mecklenburg, LB
Orlando Pace, T
Junior Seau, LB
Will Shields, G
Kurt Warner, QB
Darren Woodson, S