Like the Cubs' Ron Santo, Richard Dent of the Bears has been -- in the opinion of many -- denied his rightful place in the NFL Hall of Fame. Dent was a dominant defensive end for the Bears during the Ditka era, from 1983-1993 and also played for the 49ers, Colts and Eagles at the end of his career.
Today, we'll find out whether Dent -- or any of the 16 other finalist nominees -- will make the Hall of Fame. From the Pro Football Hall of Fame website, here is a complete list of finalists (* indicates "senior nominee):
Jerome Bettis– Running Back – 1993-95 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 1996-2005 Pittsburgh Steelers
Tim Brown – Wide Receiver/Kick Returner – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cris Carter – Wide Receiver – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins
Dermontti Dawson– Center – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers
Richard Dent – Defensive End – 1983-1993, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles
Chris Doleman– Defensive End/Linebacker – 1985-1993, 1999 Minnesota Vikings, 1994-95 Atlanta Falcons, 1996-98 San Francisco 49ers
Marshall Faulk – Running Back – 1994-98 Indianapolis Colts, 1999-2005 St. Louis Rams
Charles Haley – Defensive End/Linebacker – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys
* Chris Hanburger– Linebacker – 1965-1978 Washington Redskins
Cortez Kennedy– Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks
Curtis Martin – Running Back – 1995-97 New England Patriots, 1998-2005 New York Jets
Andre Reed – Wide Receiver – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins
* Les Richter – Linebacker – 1954-1962 Los Angeles Rams
Willie Roaf– Tackle – 1993-2001 New Orleans Saints, 2002-05 Kansas City Chiefs
Ed Sabol– Founder/President/Chairman – 1964-1995 NFL Films
Deion Sanders – Cornerback/Kick Returner/Punt Returner – 1989-1993 Atlanta Falcons, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1995-99 Dallas Cowboys, 2000 Washington Redskins, 2004-05 Baltimore Ravens
Shannon Sharpe – Tight End – 1990-99, 2002-03 Denver Broncos, 2000-01 Baltimore Ravens
You can find out who made it and who got snubbed on a one-hour special on the NFL Network, Saturday night, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. CST.