Six head coaches in the National Football League whose teams won at least one Super Bowl (or NFL title game) are among the nine individuals who have been named as
Semifinalists in the Coach category for possible election as part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 presented by Visual Edge IT.
Members of the Coach Blue-Ribbon Committee made their selections from a list they earlier had reduced to 12 candidates. The committee will discuss the nine Semifinalists at length when it meets virtually Nov. 18 to select one Finalist to present to the full Selection Committee for its consideration when it casts ballots for a new class of enshrinees in early 2026.
The nine Semifinalists in the Coach category this year are: Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer,
George Seifert and Mike Shanahan.
Coughlin, Holmgren, Knox, Reeves, Schottenheimer, Seifert and Shanahan all reached this point in the selection process last year, with Holmgren ultimately chosen as the Finalist for the Class of 2025; he also had been a Finalist with the Centennial Class of 2020. Parker was a Finalist with the Centennial Class of 2020 and again in 2024. Reeves was a Finalist in 2020.
Here are brief bios on the nine Semifinalists in the Coach category:
Bill Belichick: NFL coach from 1975-2023 with head coaching jobs with Cleveland Browns (1991-95) and New England Patriots (2000-2023). Career record: 333-178 (including playoffs) with six Super Bowl titles.
Tom Coughlin: Spent 20 years as an NFL head coach with Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-2002) and New York Giants (2004-2015). Including playoffs, posted a 182-157 record and led the Giants to two Super Bowl titles.
Mike Holmgren: Head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992-98 and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999-2008. Won a Super Bowl ring with Packers and appeared in another as head coach of Seahawks. Career record: 174-122 (including postseason).
Chuck Knox: NFL Coach of the Year in 1973, 1980 and 1984. He went 193-158-1 during 22 seasons (including playoffs) as head coach of the Rams, Bills and Seahawks.
Buddy Parker: Head coach of the Chicago Cardinals in 1949, Detroit Lions from 1951-56 and Pittsburgh Steelers from 1957-1964. Two-time NFL champion with Lions who posted a career record, including playoffs, of 107-76-9.
Dan Reeves: Head coach of the Denver Broncos from 1981-1992, New York Giants from 1993-96 and Atlanta Falcons from 1997-2003. Career record: 201-174-2 (including postseason).
Marty Schottenheimer: Head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1984-88, Kansas City Chiefs from 1989-1998, Washington Redskins in 2001 and San Diego Chargers from 2002-06. Career record: 205-139-1 (including postseason).
George Seifert: Two-time Super Bowl champion head coach with the San Francisco 49ers. In 11 seasons with the 49ers and Carolina Panthers he posted a career record (including playoffs) of 124-67.
Mike Shanahan: Head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders from 1988-89, Denver Broncos from 1995-2008 and Washington Redskins from 2010-13. Won two Super Bowls with the Broncos while compiling a 178-144 career record (including playoffs).
Reduction votes also are occurring in the Modern-Era Players, Seniors and Contributor categories. Eventually, 20 Finalists will be presented at the Selection Committee’s annual meeting next year in advance of Super Bowl LX: 15 Modern-Era Players, three Seniors, one Coach and one Contributor.
While there is no set number for any class of Enshrinees, the Hall of Fame’s selection process bylaws stipulate that between four and eight new members will be selected.
This year’s voting will be completed with oversight from the firm Ernst & Young LLP, a Hall partner since 2019. EY’s Agreed-Upon Procedures include validating the completeness of the ballots and tabulating the ballots in accordance with the bylaws established by the Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 will be announced at “NFL Honors” in San Francisco in February and enshrined in August in Canton.