AFL Announces 2015 Arena Football Hall of Fame Finalists

McEntyre is Arena Football's all-time leader in interceptions.

July 11,2015

LAS VEGAS – After tallying the nominations put forth by the Arena Football Hall of Fame Advisory Board, the Arena Football League has named ten finalists for the Arena Football Hall of Fame Class of 2015.

The finalists for the 2014 Arena Football Hall of Fame include: OL/DL James Baron, a six-time All-Arena selection and two-time Lineman of the Year; contributor CRAIG BORNEMEIER, a longtime League and team executive; OS Siaha Burley, a three-time All-Arena selection and one-time Offensive Player of the Year who became the first player in League history to record 2,000 receiving yards in a season; OL/DL B.J. Cohen, a three-time All-Arena and All-Ironman selection; QB Mark Grieb, a three-time ArenaBowl champion, two-time ArenaBowl MVP, and one-time Offensive Player of the Year; HC Jay Gruden, a two-time ArenaBowl champion coach; HC Kevin Guy, a three-time ArenaBowl champion coach and one-time AFL Head Coach of the Year; DS Kenny McEntyre, an eight-time All-Arena selection, three-time Defensive Player of the Year, and two-time ArenaBowl champion who has intercepted more passes than anyone in AFL history; OS Steve Papin, a two-time All-Arena selection who holds the League record for highest all-purpose yard-per-game average; and WR/DB Will Pettis, a five-time All-Ironman selection, three-time All-Arena selection, and two-time Ironman of the Year.
The League Office collected ballots from the Arena Football Hall of Fame Advisory Board, a group which consisted of former players, executives, journalists and media personnel with a long-time involvement in the game, on Wednesday, July 8. Each member selected ten candidates in the categories of players, coaches and contributors. In order to be nominated for the 2015 Hall of Fame Class, candidates must meet four criteria. If a player was active before 1989, he must have played for at least two seasons. For players after 1989, a minimum of three seasons of service are required. All players must be retired for three complete seasons by the time of induction. Coaches must have been active for a minimum of five seasons and need not be retired. There is no minimum number of seasons required for contributors, but significant advancement of the AFL is a prerequisite.
Fans and current Hall of Fame members will vote on the finalists beginning next week on ArenaFootball.com. Votes will then be turned into the Hall of Fame Operating Board of Directors. The 2015 Hall of Fame Class will be announced during the 2015 Conference Championship weekend and inductions will be held during the 2016 Arena Football League regular season.