Former Pine Bluff High School standout Willie Roaf is a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the second year in a row.
Roaf, 41, was an offensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints from 1993-2001 and with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2002-05, making the Pro Bowl 11 times. Only two others at his position, Anthony Munoz and Jonathan Ogden, can claim as many selections for the NFL’s all-star game.
So far, the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, includes only one player from Pine Bluff. Don Hutson, who played for the Green Bay Packers, was inducted in 1963.
Also on this year’s ballot is another Arkansan, former Rivercrest star and Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy.
Other finalists include: running backs Jerome Bettis and Curtis Martin; wide receivers Tim Brown, Cris Carter and Andre Reed; cornerbacks Jack Butler and Aeneas Williams; center Dermontti Dawson; Chris Doleman, Kevin Greene and Charles Haley, all three of whom were linemen and linebackers; guards Will Shields and Dick Stanfel; and former San Francisco 49ers owner Ed DeBartolo Jr.
The Class of 2012 will be selected Feb. 4. Induction is scheduled for Aug. 5.