The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its list of 25 semifinalists for the 2021 class with Torry Holt as the lone representative for the Los Angeles Rams.
This is the seventh consecutive year Holt made it through the first cut by being named as a semifinalist. However, last year was the first time he was actually named as a finalist before being snubbed.
This year’s class is headlined by shoe-ins like Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson and Calvin Johnson. Regardless, there is no question that Holt is certainly more than deserving of finally getting his due.
Holt came into the league with high expectations after being taken with the sixth overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft. Fortunately, it did not take him long to make an immediate impact as an integral member of the “Greatest Show on Turf” that won Super Bowl XXXIV during his rookie season.
The Rams legend would go on to register 869 catches for 12,660 yards and 74 touchdowns during his 10 seasons with the team. This included eight-straight seasons of at least 80 catches and 1,000 receiving yards en route to All-Pro honors twice and seven Pro Bowl selections. He was also named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s.
The selection committee will be cutting the 25 nominees down to 15 before deciding on a class prior to Super Bowl LV. Should Holt make the cut, he will finally be joining former teammates Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and fellow wideout Issac Bruce, who was named to the 2020 class.
Although Holt is waiting to see if the seventh time is the charm, fans saw former running back Steven Jackson snubbed from the list of nominees in his first year of eligibility. Jackson served as the workhorse during a rough stretch for the franchise and still managed to make three Pro bowls and two All-Pro teams.
