Written by
The Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS -- Two former Minnesota Vikings join Super Bowl winners Charles Haley, Bill Parcells, Jerome Bettis and Ed DeBartolo Jr. among the 17 finalists who will learn Saturday if they are voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Cris Carter played wide receiver for the Vikings for 12 seasons and played in eight straight Pro Bowls. He was a two-time First-Team All-Pro - first in 1994, when he lead the league with 122 receptions, and again in 1999. He amassed 12,383 total yards with the Vikings and caught 110 touchdowns in 188 games.
Carter played three seasons in Philadelphia before coming to the Vikings in 1990. He retired after spending the 2002 season with Miami.
Defensive end Chris Doleman also played in eight Pro Bowls, six as a member of the Vikings. Doleman spent the first nine seasons of his career in Minnesota before retiring after a final season with the Vikings in 1999. In 1989, Doleman led the NFL with 21 sacks, which, at the time, was the second most sacks in a single NFL season. He finished his career with a 150.5 total sacks, 44 forced fumbles, 24 fumbles recovered, 914 tackles and two interception returns for touchdowns.
Doleman also played two seasons in Atlanta and three seasons in San Francisco.
Haley is the only player to win five Super Bowls, two with the 49ers and three with Dallas. DeBartolo owned the San Francisco team that won five NFL titles from 1981-1994.
Parcells coached the Giants to Super Bowl wins in 1987 and 1991. He also took the Patriots to the 1997 game they lost to Green Bay.
Bettis helped the Steelers win the 2006 Super Bowl in his hometown of Detroit.
Other finalists are Curtis Martin, Cris Carter, Tim Brown, Andre Reed, Chris Doleman, Dermontti Dawson, Kevin Greene, Cortez Kennedy, Willie Roaf, Aenaes Williams, first-year nominee Will Shields, and senior committee nominees Jack Butler and Dick Stanfel.
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