New England Patriots - NESN.com
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was one of nine contributors named a semifinalist for Hall of Fame induction.
The Hall of Fame revealed the semifinalists on Thursday after the Blue-Ribbon Committee voted from a field of 21. Kraft remains in the running for induction into the 2026 class alongside K.S. “Bud” Adams, Roone Arledge, Ralph Hay, Frank “Bucko” Kilroy, Art Rooney Jr., Clark Shaughnessy, Seymour Siwoff and Buddy Young.
The committee will meet on Tuesday, Nov. 11, to name one finalist from that group. Kraft was also a semifinalist last year before Hay, an NFL co-founder and two-time champion, advanced as the lone finalist.
The Patriots had never won a championship before Kraft purchased the team in 1994, but he’s since overseen six Super Bowl championships. The 84-year-old remains one of the league’s most influential owners.
Kraft isn’t the only Patriots icon up for induction. Bill Belichick was among the nine coaches named as a Hall of Fame semifinalist on Wednesday.
Vince Wilfolk, Rodney Harrison, Asante Samuel Sr. and Adam Vinatieri are also on the list of 52 modern-era players who advanced in the voting process last month. The committee will present 15 of those players, three seniors, one coach and one contributor as Hall of Fame finalists before the Super Bowl.
Bylaws stipulate that between four and eight new Hall of Famers are chosen each year. Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald headline a crowded field of players competing for Canton enshrinement.
