Jerome Bettis, Kevin Greene, Tony Dungy ex-Steelers named as Hall of Fame finalists

Surely, January has been a frustrating time for former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis, who made the final cut of Hall of Fame finalists for the fifth straight year.  Bettis, who won Super Bowl XL with the Steelers in his final NFL season, finished his career as the fifth leading rushing in NFL history, now sitting sixth after LaDainian Tomlinson surpassed his total in 2011.  Bettis, however, has been passed over on each of the last five Hall of Fame ballots, delaying his (hopefully) eventual trip to Canton.

Joining Bettis is fellow former Steeler Kevin Greene, whose Steelers career wasn't nearly as storied as Bettis', but his individual numbers stand out equally.  As a member of the Steelers from 1993-95, Greene accrued 35 1/2 sacks for the team, with his 160 career sacks ranking third all time behind Hall of Famers Bruce Smith and Reggie White.  This is Greene's fourth time as a finalist.

Other finalists for the Hall of Fame include K Morten Anderson, WR Tim Brown, RB Terrell Davis, DE Charles Haley, WR Marvin Harrison, S John Lynch, OT Orlando Pace, OG Will Shields, LB Junior Seau, QB Kurt Warner, C Mick Tingelhoff, general manager's Ron Wolf and Bill Polian and coaches Tony Dungy, Don Coryell and Jimmy Johnson.

Five members will be selected to the Hall of Fame.