Savannah State's Shannon Sharpe might have the best odds of being the next black-college alum inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but he won't be the only candidate. Sharpe is one of 17 finalists for the class of 2009, along with HBCU greats Bob Hayes (Florida A&M) and Tennessee State's Richard Dent and Claude Humphrey, who will be announced during Super Bowl week .

Hayes and Humphrey made the finals after being nominated by the Senior Committee. Election to the hall requires 80 percent of votes cast. Sharpe, who played from 1990-2003 for Denver and Baltimore and won Super Bowls with both, is one of four first-year eligible candidates, along with Bruce Smith, Rod Woodson and John Randle. When Sharpe retired, he held the NFL record for catches and touchdowns by a tight end and is credited with revolutionizing the position as a nimble pass-catcher who pulled in at least 60 passes in 12 of his 14 seasons. Dent, who played from 1983-1997 with four teams, has solid credentials, too.

The defensive end was a key cog in the Chicago Bears' intimidating defenses of the 1980s and, at the time of his retirement, trailed only Reggie White and Bruce Smith in all-time sacks with 137.5. Hayes's inclusion is the most overdue.

From the mid-1960s to early '70s with Dallas, the former Olympic 100 meters champ brought pure speed to the passing game, forcing defenses to develop bump-and-run coverages to keep pace with the receiver. He finished his career (1965-75) with 7,414 receiving yards and 71 touchdowns. Humphrey, a defensive end who played with Atlanta and Philadelphia from 1968-1981, racked up 122 sacks and was named first-team All Pro five times. His best season was in 1976, when he returned from a knee injury to record 15 sacks for Atlanta. He also had a team high 14.5 in 1980 for Philadelphia.