Report: Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020 could have 20 inductees

In a normal year, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will induct as many as eight people into the ranks of the immortals. According to a recent report, in conjunction with the 100th Anniversary of the National Football League, the next class could be significantly expanded.

Pro Football Talk is reporting that the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020 could include as many as twenty inductees, with the breakdown looking like this:

• 5 Modern-day candidates
• 10 Seniors candidates
• 3 Contributors
• 2 Coaches

The proposal has passed the initial steps to passage, but it still needs to be approved by the full board of the Pro Football Hall of Fame when they meet on 2 August.

The expanded number of Senior candidates would give a lot of players that had come close in the past and/or have otherwise proven to be deserving to get into the Hall. Obviously, for fans of the Minnesota Vikings, the top name on the list for the franchise that definitely needs to be considered is defensive end Jim Marshall.

We’ve documented Marshall’s achievements in this space before, so we won’t hammer on them here. Sufficient to say, however, I know a lot of us (rightfully) believe that he deserves a spot in Canton, and with an expanded number of Seniors candidates, hopefully the time will probably be right for that to happen. Or, at the very least, it would clear a lot of other candidates out of the way to make Marshall’s road a little easier.

This is, definitely, another story to keep an eye on for this offseason. One month from today, we will find out if Jim Marshall’s path to immortality has opened up a bit.