KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced a group of 60 semifinalists who have a shot at inclusion in the Class of 2024.
That list includes 31 players nominated by the Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee and 29 nominated by the Coach/Contributor Committee.
The Senior and Coach/Contributor committees will whittle their respective lists to 12 finalists, which will be announced July 27.
The Coach/Contributor Committee will select one of those 12 finalists for possible Hall of Fame induction at its Aug. 15 meeting.
The Senior Committee will select up to three finalists for possible Hall of Fame induction at its Aug. 22 meeting.
Two former Chiefs players, wide receiver Otis Taylor and cornerback Albert Lewis, are among the former players under consideration, while the architects of the team’s strong 1990s teams also are among six people with ties to the team among the semifinalists.
Taylor, who played on the Super Bowl IV champions and helped redefine the wide-receiver role in the NFL, played 10 seasons for Kansas City (1965-75).
He led the AFL in touchdowns in 1967 and led the NFL in receiving yards in 1971, earning two Pro Bowl selections, two All-Pro honors and an AFL All-Star selection during an 11-year playing career.
Taylor, who died in March, remains the top wide receiver in Chiefs history statistically. He ranks third in franchise history with 7,306 receiving yards and 57 receiving touchdowns, trailing only tight ends Tony Gonzalez and Travis Kelce in both categories.
Lewis played for Kansas City from 1983-93 before finishing his 16-year NFL career with the Raiders. He was a two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowlers with the Chiefs.
In 225 games, Lewis totaled 42 interceptions, forced 13 fumbles, and blocked 11 kicks on special teams.
The Coach/Contributor group includes former Chiefs head coach Marty Schottenheimer and Carl Peterson, who served as the Chiefs’ president and general manager from 1989 to 2008.
Schottenheimer went 101-58-1 in 10 seasons as Kansas City’s head coach from 1989-98, including seven postseason appearances in eight seasons from 1990-97.
The Chiefs won the AFC West three times (1993, 1995, 1997) under Schottenheimer, who died in February 2021.
Schottenheimer’s career — which also included head-coaching stops in Cleveland, Washington and San Diego — was intertwined with Peterson’s.
Kansas City made the postseason nine times in Peterson’s 20 seasons overseeing the team, but only went 3-9 in the playoffs during that span.
Former Chiefs offensive line coach Alex Gibbs, who served on Schottenheimer’s staff from 1993-94, also was included on the Coach/Contributor semifinalist list.
Former Chiefs scout Lloyd Wells, who was the NFL’s first Black full-time scout for the organization from 1963-74, also was a Coach/Contributor semifinalist.
Gibbs — who died on July 12, 2021 — won two Super Bowls as an assistant coach with Denver and worked in the NFL from 1984 to 2013.
Additionally, Smith Center, Kansas, native Steve Tasker, a long-time special-teams ace for the Buffalo Bills who went to seven Pro Bowls, is among the Senior Committee semifinalists along with former Kansas State running back Larry Brown, a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro who won the 1972 AP NFL MVP and led the NFL in rushing in 1970.
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