9 deceased new members of Hall of Fame to be honoured in May

CANTON, Ohio — The nine new members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame who are deceased will be honoured in a television special next month.

Eight men who were selected for the 2020 centennial class and one from the 2021 group will be recognized. They are Bobby Dillon, Winston Hill, Alex Karras, Steve Sabol, Duke Slater, Mac Speedie, Ed Sprinkle and George Young from 2020, and Bill Nunn from 2021. It will air May 1 on NFL Network and again on May 4 on ESPN2.

The show will feature a video montage of each enshrinee and the unveiling of his bronzed bust in Canton, Ohio. After the show, the families of each member will place the bust on display in the Hall of Fame Gallery.

David Baker, president and CEO of the hall, said a special panel elected a 20-person class to commemorate the founding of the NFL, with enshrinees dating to the earliest eras of pro football.

”To recognize eight members of this class, along with trailblazer Bill Nunn from the class of 2021, in this special way brings us great excitement and great joy,” he said.

Dillion, Hill, Karras, Nunn, Sabol, Slater, Speedie, Sprinkle and Young also will be recognized this summer during their enshrinements. The centennial class of 2020 will be inducted Aug. 7 and the class of 2021 the next day. Last year’s inductions were postponed because of the pandemic.

“Honouring the legacies of these newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in conjunction with the NFL draft reminds us that the players of today stand on the shoulders of those who came before them,” Baker said.

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The Associated Press