Skip to main content
New York Giants homepage
Advertising

Giants News | New York Giants – Giants.com

New York Jets quarterback Kyle Mackey is sacked by New York Giants Carl Banks for a six-yard loss in the first quarter of play in East Rutherford, N.J., Aug. 26, 1989. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan)
Carl Banks named semifinalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame
Giants legend Carl Banks is a first-time semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame
By Dan Salomone Nov 28, 2019

For the first time since he has been eligible, linebacker Carl Banks today was named one of 25 semifinalists of modern-era players for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2020.

Along with defensive tackle Bryant Young and running backs Fred Taylor and Ricky Watters, Banks is one of four first-time semifinalists who were previously eligible for the Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame Board passed a resolution this year that suspended the Hall of Fame's selection committee bylaws for the Class of 2020 election cycle only. Intended to honor the NFL's 100th season, the "Centennial Class" will be comprised of 20 members in 2020. The group will include five modern-era players to come from the list announced today in addition to 10 seniors (a player who has been retired for more than 25 seasons), three contributors (an individual other than a player or coach) and two coaches.

Banks, who last played in the 1995, was the third overall selection of the 1984 NFL Draft and played for the Giants through the 1992 season. He was one of the premier run-stoppers of his era, a standout on the teams that won Super Bowls XXI and XXV, a Pro Bowler in 1987 and a member of the NFL 1980's All-Decade Team. Banks played in 126 regular season games and had 36.0 sacks, three interceptions and approximately 500 tackles. Banks is still closely affiliated with the Giants; since 2007, he has been an analyst on the Giants' radio broadcasts.

The modern-era players list will be reduced to 15 finalists, which will be announced on Jan. 2, 2020. The finalists will then be presented to the full 48-member Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee during its annual meeting on "Selection Saturday," on Feb. 1, 2020, the day before Super Bowl LIV. The selection committee will elect five modern-era players for the Class of 2020.

Giants legend Carl Banks is a semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2020.

The determination of the seniors, contributors and coaches will be made by a special 25-person Centennial "Blue-Ribbon" Panel which will review the backlog of those deserving of the honor. The blue-ribbon panel is comprised of Hall of Fame selectors, Pro Football Hall of Famers, media members, football historians and industry experts.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2020 will be introduced during NFL Honors, a two-hour primetime awards special to air nationally on the eve of Super Bowl LIV at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.

Giants Rewind with Carl Banks Logo

Giants Rewind with Carl Banks

Giants legend Carl Banks' expert analysis as he breaks down the X's and O's from each Giants game.

The following is the list of 2020 modern-era player semifinalists

Steve Atwater, S – 1989-1998 Denver Broncos, 1999 New York Jets (Times as a Semifinalist: 9 – 2012-2020)

Carl Banks, LB – 1984-1992 New York Giants, 1993 Washington Redskins, 1994-95 Cleveland Browns (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2020)

Ronde Barber, CB/S – 1997-2012 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2018-2020)

Tony Boselli, T – 1995-2001 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2002 Houston Texans (Times as a Semifinalist: 5 – 2016-2020)

Isaac Bruce, WR – 1994-2007 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 2008-09 San Francisco 49ers (Times as a Semifinalist: 6 – 2015-2020)

LeRoy Butler, S – 1990-2001 Green Bay Packers (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2018-2020)

Alan Faneca, G – 1998-2007 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2008-09 New York Jets, 2010 Arizona Cardinals (Times as a Semifinalist: 5 – 2016-2020)

Torry Holt, WR – 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars (Times as a Semifinalist: 6 – 2015-2020)

Steve Hutchinson, G – 2001-05 Seattle Seahawks, 2006-2011 Minnesota Vikings, 2012 Tennessee Titans (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2018-2020)

Edgerrin James, RB – 1999-2005 Indianapolis Colts, 2006-08 Arizona Cardinals, 2009 Seattle Seahawks (Times as a Semifinalist: 6 – 2015-2020)

John Lynch, FS – 1993-2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004-07 Denver Broncos (Times as a Semifinalist: 8 – 2013-2020)

Clay Matthews, LB – 1978-1993 Cleveland Browns, 1994-96 Atlanta Falcons (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2012, 2017, 2019-2020)

Sam Mills, LB – 1986-1994 New Orleans Saints, 1995-97 Carolina Panthers (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2016, 2019-2020)

Troy Polamalu, S – 2003-2014 Pittsburgh Steelers (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2020)

Simeon Rice, DE – 1996-2000 Arizona Cardinals, 2001-06 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2007 Denver Broncos, 2007 Indianapolis Colts (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2018, 2020)

Richard Seymour, DE/DT – 2001-08 New England Patriots, 2009-2012 Oakland Raiders (Times as a Semifinalist: 3 – 2018-2020)

Steve Tasker, ST/WR – 1985-86 Houston Oilers, 1986-1997 Buffalo Bills (Times as a Semifinalist: 7 – 2004, 2008-2010, 2012-13, 2020)

Fred Taylor, RB – 1998-2008 Jacksonville Jaguars, 2009-2010 New England Patriots (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2020)

Zach Thomas, LB – 1996-2007 Miami Dolphins, 2008 Dallas Cowboys (Times as a Semifinalist: 2 – 2019-2020)

Hines Ward, WR – 1998-2011 Pittsburgh Steelers (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2017-2020)

Ricky Watters, RB – 1992-94 San Francisco 49ers, 1995-97 Philadelphia Eagles, 1998-2001 Seattle Seahawks (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2020)

Reggie Wayne, WR – 2001-2014 Indianapolis Colts (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2020)

Patrick Willis, LB – 2007-2014 San Francisco 49ers (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2020)

Darren Woodson, S – 1992-2003 Dallas Cowboys (Times as a Semifinalist: 4 – 2015, 2017, 2019-2020)

Bryant Young, DT – 1994-2007 San Francisco 49ers (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2020)

Giants vs. Packers Broadcast Info: TV channel, Radio Station and Live Stream.

24_GiantsApp_GenericPromo_1920x1080

Giants App

Download the Giants' official app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices

back to top
Advertising