By: JJ Stankevitz
Wayne is in his sixth year as a semifinalist, and has been a finalist every year he’s been eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Mathis is in his fourth year as a semifinalist while Vinatieri advanced as a semifinalist in his first year on the ballot.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame on Wednesday narrowed its list of Class of 2025 candidates to 25 semifinalists, with three Colts greats making the cut: Defensive end Robert Mathis, wide receiver Reggie Wayne and kicker Adam Vinatieri.
Mathis has now made it to the semifinal round of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection process in each of his four years of eligibility. During his 14-year career, spent entirely in Indianapolis, the 2003 fifth-round pick became the NFL’s strip sack king: No player in league history has more forced fumbles (52) and strip-sacks (47). His 123 career sacks are a franchise record, and he was a five-time Pro Bowler and 2013 first-team AP All Pro. Mathis in 2013 finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting and led the NFL with 19 1/2 sacks and 10 forced fumbles.
Wayne proved to be one of the best, most prolific wide receivers in NFL history over his 14-year career with the Colts. Now in his third year as the Colts’ wide receivers coach, Wayne caught 1,070 passes for 14,345 yards with 82 touchdowns over 211 regular season games from 2001-2014. Wayne is one of nine players in NFL history with at least 1,000 receptions, 14,000 yards and 80 touchdowns. He also saved some of his most impactful moments for the postseason, with his 93 receptions second-most in NFL history and his 1,243 yards fourth.
Vinatieri, in his first year of eligibility, will look to become only the second kicker enshrined in Canton. Widely regarded as one of the best kickers – if not the best kicker – in league history, Vinatieri was a three-time first-team AP All-Pro and is the NFL’s all-time leader in points scored (2,673). His clutch kicks in big moments helped him become a four-time Super Bowl champion, and he was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2000s first team and the NFL 100 All-Time Team.
Later this year, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will announce 15 modern era finalists to be considered for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Those 15 finalists will be considered by the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee ahead of Super Bowl LVIX, and between three and five modern era finalists will be chosen for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025.
