The next step in Bill Belichick’s Hall of Fame bid is a Nov. 17 decision: five coaching nominees are vying to become the one Coach candidate presented to the full Selection Committee for the Class of 2027. Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach, is joined by Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Dan Reeves and Mike Shanahan.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame says its Coach Subcommittee narrowed 14 nominees to these five. The subcommittee will meet virtually on Nov. 17 and select one candidate to advance. All five reached this stage last year; Belichick was chosen then as the Coach candidate for the Class of 2026, but was not elected.
Belichick’s first year of eligibility ended without election, The New York Times reported. He coached the Patriots from 2000 to 2023, winning six Super Bowls, and earned two more titles as a Giants assistant, according to the Boston Herald.
A Crowded Field of Championship Résumés
The five nominees bring different postseason records and championship histories. Dan Reeves finished 201-174-2, including the playoffs, and took the Broncos to three Super Bowls and the Falcons to one. Tom Coughlin’s record was 182-157, including playoffs, and he led the Giants to two Super Bowl titles.
Mike Shanahan went 178-144, including playoffs, and won consecutive Super Bowls with the Broncos. Mike Holmgren finished 174-122 and won two Super Bowls as an assistant with the San Francisco 49ers. Belichick’s combined coaching record, including playoffs, is 333-178, according to the Hall of Fame. The subcommittee’s selection will determine which of the five advances.
Kraft Advances Separately in Contributor Category
Patriots owner Robert Kraft is also still in the mix for Canton, advancing as part of the Contributor category alongside Ralph Hay, Virginia McCaskey, Doug Williams and John Wooten. That category runs on a separate track from the Coach nominees, though both will eventually feed into the same finalist pool presented to the Selection Committee.
The Hall says 15 finalists in total will be presented at the Selection Committee's annual meeting ahead of Super Bowl LXI: 13 Modern-Era Players, one Coach and one Contributor. Under the bylaws governing the process, between three and seven new members can ultimately be selected for induction. The Hall's revised voting process appears likely to increase class sizes compared with the previous system, according to the same New York Times report that detailed Belichick's snub.
What happens after the nominees advance
The Nov. 17 meeting selects one Coach candidate, but that is not the final vote. According to NFL.com, the 15 finalists will be reduced first to 10 and then to seven. Voters may select six candidates, and election requires 80% support. The Contributor category is a separate route for candidates such as Patriots owner Robert Kraft. The Pro Football Hall of Fame says Kraft bought the team in 1994 to keep it from moving to St. Louis and privately financed Gillette Stadium to give the Patriots a permanent home.
The Nov. 17 meeting will determine which coach advances; the full Selection Committee will then consider that candidate alongside the rest of the Class of 2027 finalists.
