Cortez Hall of Fame finalist

For the third consecutive year, former Seahawks defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy is among the finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The 15 finalists and two senior nominees were announced this morning, and the Class of 2011 will be chosen by the Hall of Fame selection committee on Saturday, Feb. 5.

Kennedy was voted to the Pro Bowl eight times during his 11-year career with the Seahawks (1990-2000) and also selected to the NFL team of the decade for the 1990s. His best season came in the franchise’s worst – 1992. While the Seahawks went 2-14, Kennedy was voted NFL defensive player of the year after registering 14 sacks, 93 tackles and four forced fumbles.

He was at the Seahawks’ wild-card playoff victory over the New Orleans Saints at Qwest Field on Saturday, when he expressed how honored he has been to even be a finalist for the Hall of Fame the past two years and how much being selected would mean to him.

Kennedy made it to the final 10 in his first two years as a finalist, but fell short of being selected.

Here is the list of this year’s 15 finalists, and the two senior nominees – Les Richter and Chris Hanburger:

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

Fans can voice their opinion on who they think should be in this year’s class at www.fanchoice.com.