The 128 Modern-Era Nominations for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 were announced today featuring two former Penn State players.
Former offensive lineman Steve Wisniewski and linebacker NaVarro Bowman made the first round of nominations in an effort to be immortalized at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Wisniewski starred at Penn State between 1985-1988, earning first-team All-America honors and starting on Penn State’s 1986 national championship team.
In the NFL, Wisniewski starred for the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders for all 13 seasons, where he played in 204 games. Wisniewski earned eight Pro Bowl and All-Pro (two-time first-team and six-time second-team) honors, to go along with being named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990’s.Â
Bowman was one of the early adopters to dawn the No. 11 in the Stix City lure, and was a key figure on Penn State’s 2008 Big Ten Championship team.
In the NFL, Bowman’s career was cut short due to injuries, but in four All-Pro seasons he teamed with fellow Hall of Fame linebacker Patrick Willis to form one of the dominant linebacker duos of the 2010’s that aided the San Francisco 49ers to appear in Super Bowl XLVII against Baltimore Ravens.
Bowman, when healthy, in a four season stretch between 2011-2015 averaged 148 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and six quarterback hits per season, being named the Butkus Award winner in 2013 for best professional football linebacker.
Former Penn State linebacker Matt Millen was named one of 162 Senior Nominations that was announced earlier in September.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will be revealed during Super Bowl week.
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