Brown Denied
Jerry Rice was among seven candidates voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Feb. 6, but ex-Raiders teammate Tim Brown will have to wait at least another year before gaining entry into the Canton, Ohio shrine.
Joining Rice in the Hall's 2010 Class are running backs Emmitt Smith and Floyd Little, guard Russ Grimm, linebacker Rickey Jackson, defensive tackle John Randle and cornerback Dick LeBeau. Little and LeBeau were senior nominees.
They will be enshrined Aug. 7 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Rice and Smith were the only candidates selected in their first year of eligibility.
Brown, who played all but one of his 17 NFL seasons with the Raiders, was among 17 finalists for the Class of 2010.
Rice, right, finished his 21-year career with an NFL-record 1,549 catches for 22,895 yards and 197 touchdowns. He leads second-place Marvin Harrison by 447 career receptions, and his 208 total TDs (11 rushing) are 33 more than runner-up Smith. Rice played 16 seasons (1985 to 2000) for the 49ers before spending four seasons (2001-2004) with the Raiders and one with the Seattle Seahawks.
"I never took anything for granted," Rice told reporters in Miami on Feb. 6. "I love this game. It was everything to me."
Rice and Brown helped propel the Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII at the end of the 2002 season.
Brown, right, played 16 seasons (1988-2003) for the 
Raiders and one for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was a dual threat as a receiver and kick returner.
When he retired, the 1987 Hesiman Troppy winner from Notre Dame ranked fifth in NFL total yards with 19,682.
On Dec. 9, 2001, Brown returned a punt 88 yards for a touchdown against the visiting Kansas City Chiefs — making him the oldest player (at age 35) in NFL history to score a touchdown via a punt return. In 2002 he passed Gene Upshaw to become the Raiders' career leader in games played with 224. He also set Raiders franchise records for receptions, receiving yards and punt return yards.
Brown finished his career with 1,094 receptions for 14,934 yards and 101 touchdowns — all in the top three all-time when he retired after the 2004 season.
A candidate reportedly must get 80 percent of the vote from the 44-member Hall of Fame selectors to make the Hall. A minimum of four and a maximum of seven inductees will be chosen, but no more than five modern-era nominees can be elected in a single year. For six entrants, one must be a senior nominee. For seven, both senior nominees must make it.
For more information on the Class of 2010, please click Pro Football Hall of Fame
