Three former Minnesota Vikings inch closer to Hall of Fame enshrinement

Former Minnesota Vikings Randy Moss, Roger Craig, and Steve Hutchinson are among the semifinalists to be a part of the next Pro Football Hall of Fame class of inductees.

This past September, the Minnesota Vikings made former wide receiver Randy Moss the 22nd addition to the team’s Ring of Honor. Within the next few months, Moss and the Vikings will find out if the receiver will become the team’s 19th former player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

On Tuesday, the NFL announced that Moss, as well as two other former Minnesota players in Steve Hutchinson and Roger Craig were among the semifinalists for the Hall of Fame’s 2018 class. For Moss and Hutchinson, this is the first year that each have been eligible to be inducted, while this is the 10th time Craig’s name has been included among the semifinalists since retiring in 1994.

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Moss and Hutchinson were part of 10 players to be named as semifinalists for the first time since becoming eligible. Also among this group of first-time semifinalists are Ronde Barber, LeRoy Butler, Ray Lewis, Leslie O’Neal, Simeon Rice, Richard Seymour, Brian Urlacher, and Everson Walls.

Brett Favre, Jim Langer, Hugh McElhenny, Warren Moon, and Jan Stenerud are the only former Vikings players have ever been inducted in their first year on the ballot . That group will likely grow in 2018 with Moss and possibly Hutchinson getting enshrined into the Hall of Fame.

The past few Hall of Fame classes have featured at least one player that spent some time in Minnesota. In five of the last six years, at least one former member of the Vikings has been given their very own gold Pro Football Hall of Fame jacket (Morten Anderson, Favre, Mick Tingelhoff, Cris Carter, and Chris Doleman).

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With Moss, Hutchinson, and Craig among the 2018 semifinalists, it seems like Minnesota will continue to have a rooting interest in the Hall of Fame ceremonies for at least a few more years.