NEW ORLEANS_ In losing what appeared to be an excruciatingly tight election, Bengals Ring of Honor member Willie Anderson came as close as ever to being selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Thursday night in his fourth trip to the finals.
But a top-seven finish wasn’t enough to secure induction into the smallest class in 20 years.
It did, however, guarantee that the man regarded as the best right tackle of the turn-of-the-century NFL automatically makes next year’s Modern Era finals of 15 for the fifth straight year.
When the 2025 class was announced during NFL Honors, only tight end Antonio Gates, edge rusher Jared Allen, and cornerback Eric Allen emerged from the field of 15 Modern Era finalists.
The 49-member board of selectors, of which Bengals.com is a member, also elected senior nominee Sterling Sharpe, the Packers’ prolific receiver from the 1990s,.
The total class of four was the minimum and half the average of eight since 2021 after a change in voting procedures this past year by the Hall’s board of directors was meant “to help ensure that membership in the Hall of Fame remains elite.”
Anderson, 49, who has been battling kidney problems, says he’s feeling better lately. In order to cope, he’s dropped from 380 to 319 pounds and looks svelte and in-shape. But he admits the wait has taken a frustrating toll.
“Every year, I never knock who made it. You can’t knock who makes it. I would never do that,” Anderson said. “And I never agree with anybody who is knocking who makes it because it could easily be me and somebody says, ‘Hell, why did he make it?’
“I’m happy for those who made it. At this point in retirement, it’s one of those tough things besides my health.”
Joining Anderson in the cut to seven Modern-Era candidates but not making the Hall were six-time finalist Torry Holt, a wide receiver in the Greatest Show on Turf, and first-time eligibles…
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