Seau, Haley, Bettis lead Hall of Fame class

Phoenix, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Linebacker Junior Seau, pass rusher Charles Haley, running back Jerome Bettis, wide receiver Tim Brown and guard Will Shields are among the newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The class of 2015 was announced Saturday night, with eight ticketed for enshrinement in Canton, Ohio.

Bill Polian, Ron Wolf and center Mick Tingelhoff were also elected.

Seau, who committed suicide in 2012, was one of the best linebackers of his era and earned election in his first year of eligibility. He played two decades with three teams and made 12 Pro Bowls. The 1992 defensive player of the year registered 56 1/2 sacks during his career and helped lead San Diego to its lone Super Bowl appearance in franchise history following the 1994 season.

Haley, who played defensive end and linebacker, is the only player in NFL history to play on five Super Bowl title teams during his 12-year career from 1986-99, which included a two-year retirement, with San Francisco and Dallas. The five-time Pro Bowl pick finished with 100 1/2 career sacks and was a member of 10 division championship teams. He was in his 11th year of eligibility.

Nicknamed "The Bus", Bettis was one of the league's most powerful running backs with six Pro Bowl selections. He ran for over 1,000 yards eight times and ranked fifth all-time in career rushing yards with 13,662 at the time of his retirement. He retired after helping Pittsburgh win Super Bowl XL in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan following the 2005 season. The 1993 offensive rookie of the year with the Rams, Bettis was in his fifth year of eligibility.

Brown, a finalist for the sixth time in as many years of eligibility, was the 1987 Heisman Trophy winner at Notre Dame and a star receiver/kick returner with the Raiders and Buccaneers from 1988-2004. He set Raiders franchise records for receptions, receiving yards and punt return yards. His 14,934 receiving yards at the time of his retirement were second-most in NFL history.

Shields, in his fourth year of eligibility and a finalist, never missed a game during his 14 years with Kansas City from 1993-2006. His 224 games, including 223 starts, are franchise records. He earned 12 straight Pro Bowl berths and helped the Chiefs to four division titles with two other playoff appearances.

Polian and Wolf, the architects of Super Bowl teams, were voted in as contributors.

Polian spent 32 seasons in the NFL during which time he developed a reputation for constructing franchises into strong playoff teams. The Buffalo Bills earned three straight Super Bowl berths in the early 1990s with Polian as general manager. He was also the GM of the expansion Carolina Panthers, building a roster that reached the NFC title game in the franchise's second year of existence. Polian then moved on to become president and general manager of the Indianapolis Colts, who made two Super Bowl appearances and won a title during his tenure.

Wolf began his pro football career as a scout for the Raiders in 1963 and spent 23 seasons with the franchise in the personnel department, helping the club to nine division titles during his tenure from 1963-74 and '79-89. He was the general manager of the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1976-79 and was also the GM of the Packers from 1991-2001, helping restore Green Bay's glory with Super Bowl appearances in 1996 and '97 and one title.

Tingelhoff, the only seniors nominee among this year's finalists, never missed a game in 17 seasons with the Vikings from 1962-78. A six-time Pro Bowl selection and five-time First-Team All-Pro, Tingelhoff started all 240 games he played and appeared in 19 postseason games, including four Super Bowls.

The class will be inducted on Aug. 8.

Among the players and coaches who did not make the cut Saturday were kicker Morten Andersen, coach Don Coryell, running back Terrell Davis, coach Tony Dungy, linebacker/defensive end Kevin Greene, wide receiver Marvin Harrison, coach Jimmy Johnson, safety John Lynch, tackle Orlando Pace and quarterback Kurt Warner.