London Fletcher named a semifinalist for 2023 Hall of Fame class originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Two former standouts in Burgundy & Gold are on the cusp of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Hall revealed on Tuesday their list of 28 modern-era semifinalists for the Class of 2023, which include former Washington linebacker London Fletcher and wide receiver Henry Ellard. For both Fletcher and Ellard, it’s their first time making it to the semifinalist stage.
The full 28-player semifinalist list is as follows: Eric Allen (CB), Jared Allen (DE), Willie Anderson (OT), Ronde Barber (CB), Anquan Boldin (WR), Henry Ellard (WR), Jahri Evans (OG), London Fletcher (LB), Dwight Freeney (DE), James Harrison (LB), Rodney Harrison (S), Devin Hester (KR/WR), Torry Holt (WR), Andre Johnson (WR), Albert Lewis (CB), Robert Mathis (DE/LB), Darrelle Revis (CB), Steve Smith Sr. (WR), Fred Taylor (RB), Joe Thomas (OT), Zach Thomas (LB), Hines Ward (WR), DeMarcus Ware (LB/DE), Ricky Watters (RB), Reggie Wayne (WR), Vince Wilfork (DT), Patrick Willis (LB), and Darren Woodson (S).
Fletcher was one of the most dominant players to lace up for the then-Redskins in the 21st century. During his tenure in D.C. from 2007-13, Fletcher was named a Pro Bowler four times, second-team All-Pro twice, won the Bart Starr Award for leadership and was immortalized in Washington’s Ring of Fame and in their 90 Greatest Players list.
Fletcher spent his longest tenure with any NFL team in Washington, accumulating 956 tackles 11.5 sacks, 12 interceptions and five fumble recoveries across 112 games. He still leads the entire league in tackles since the year 2000, outlasting the second-place player on that list, Ray Lewis, by almost 500 tackles.
Henry Ellard had a tremendous impact on the Redskins offenses of the 1990s. He played in Washington toward the end of his career, which makes his stats even more impressive: over 3,900 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns over five seasons. He put up three consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 1994-96 – Washington wouldn’t have another player put up consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons again until Terry McLaurin accomplished the feat in 2021.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame eligibility list will be cut again to 15 players before the final voting process will take place. The Hall’s 49-person selection committee will select the Class of 2023 and reveal the list of inductees on Feb. 9.
