FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots announced that three former Patriots have been selected as finalists for this year's induction into the team's hall of fame. This year's finalists (listed in alphabetical order) are cornerback Raymond Clayborn, defensive lineman Richard Seymour and linebacker Mike Vrabel. Seymour and Vrabel both helped the Patriots earn the first three Super Bowl championships in franchise history. Clayborn is a finalist for the fourth straight year, Vrabel is a finalist for the second straight year, while Seymour is a first-year eligible finalist.
Starting today, Patriots fans are encouraged to vote for the former Patriot most deserving of hall of fame enshrinement. Fans can vote here through May 15. The Patriots will announce the 2017 Patriots Hall of Fame selection that week.
This year's inductee will become the 26th person to be enshrined into the Patriots Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is held on the NRG Plaza outside The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon. The outdoor ceremony is free and open to the public. Patriots fans of all ages are welcome and encouraged to attend. The date and time of this year's event will be announced at a later date.
Beginning in 2007, the Patriots started a new hall of fame tradition, inducting one player or head coach into The Hall each year. The process for induction involves a panel of media, alumni and staff who collectively nominate the players or head coaches most deserving of induction. After the nominations are made, the committee votes and the top three tallies become that year's finalists. The Patriots then give their fans the opportunity to vote online to select each year's winner. The Patriots are the only team in the NFL that allows the fans to make the final selection of each year's nominees.
The New England Patriots held their annual nomination committee meeting on Wed., April 12, to nominate this year's candidates for induction into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Now it is up to the fans to select this year's honoree.
More information on each of this year's finalists can be found below:
Raymond Clayborn was a three-time Pro Bowl player (1983, 1985, 1986) for the Patriots during a career that extended from 1977 through 1989. He was drafted by the Patriots in the first round (16th overall) out of Texas in 1977 and quickly established himself as one of the game's best cornerbacks as well as a superb kickoff returner. He finished his Patriots career with a franchise-leading 36 interceptions, a record which was tied by Ty Law in 2004 and remains today, 28 years after he finished his Patriots career. His 555 interception return yards are second in franchise history to Law's 583. Clayborn also returned 57 kickoffs for 1,538 yards and three touchdowns. As a rookie in 1977, Clayborn returned 28 kickoffs for 869 yards and led the NFL with a 31.0-yard return average. He also returned three kicks for touchdowns that year. The return average and the touchdown returns remain franchise records. He is one of just 20 NFL players since the 1970 merger to finish a season with a better than 30.0-yard average on kickoff returns (min. 20 returns) and is the only Patriots player to accomplish the feat. Clayborn played a vital role in bringing the Patriots to respectability in the late 1970s and early '80s. During his 13 seasons with the Patriots, he helped the Patriots to 10 winning seasons, including four postseason berths. Clayborn intercepted Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino and recorded six passes defensed to help end an 18-game losing streak to the Miami Dolphins in the Orange Bowl in a 31-14 AFC Championship victory that propelled the Patriots to their first Super Bowl appearance. Clayborn was a member of the Patriots' 1970s and 1980s all-decade teams. He also set a franchise record by playing in 161 consecutive games, a record that still stands today.
Richard Seymour spent the first eight seasons of his 12year NFL career with the Patriots and played an important part in delivering six division championships, four conference titles and three Super Bowl championships to New England. He was named to five straight Pro Bowls with the Patriots (2002-06) and earned four straight first team All-Pro honors (2003-06). His five Pro Bowl berths are the most by any Patriots defensive lineman since the 1970 NFL merger. He was also a four-time team co-captain. In 2009, he was voted to the 50th anniversary team and the 2000s all-decade Team. During his time with the Patriots, he anchored a defense that allowed an average of 17.8 points per game and allowed fewer than 20 points in six of his eight seasons with New England. Seymour also blocked seven field goals in his career. He was originally drafted by the Patriots in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft with the sixth overall selection out of Georgia and immediately established himself as one of the Patriots premier players for nearly a decade after helping the Patriots win their first Super Bowl during his rookie season. Overall, Seymour started in 105 of 111 games, totaling 460 tackles, including 256 solos stops with 39 sacks. He also recorded two interceptions and six fumble recoveries. He played in 15 postseason games with 13 starts and added 66 total tackles, 4½ sacks and one fumble recovery. In 2004, he scored his first career touchdown on a fumble recovery that he returned 68 yards in a 31-17 win at Buffalo (10/3/04). Seymour was traded to Oakland in the summer of 2009, where he played for the final four years of his career, producing two additional Pro Bowl seasons.
Mike Vrabelis recognized as one of the best free agent signings in team history. He joined the team prior to the 2001 season, following a four-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he was used primarily on special teams and as a reserve linebacker. During his eight-year tenure in New England, Vrabel played a major role in the Patriots' dynamic run of three Super Bowls in four years (2001, 2003 and 2004). He exemplified positional versatility, starting at both inside and outside linebacker positions during his Patriots tenure, regularly lining up on offense in short-yardage and goal-line situations and continuing to make valuable contributions on various special teams units throughout his career. As a Patriot, he caught eight regular-season passes and two more in the playoffs. All 10 receptions were touchdowns, including touchdown receptions in back-to-back, three-point Super Bowl wins over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXVIII (32-29) and Philadelphia Eagles (24-21) in Super Bowl XXXIX. In Week 8 of the 2007 season, Vrabel forced three fumbles, had three sacks, recovered an onside kick and scored an offensive touchdown against Washington, all of which earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. He earned Pro Bowl and NFL All-Pro honors following the 2007 season after registering 12½ sacks and helping the Patriots to the first 16-0 regular season in NFL history. On Dec. 26, 2005, on Monday Night Football, Vrabel became the first player since the official recording of sacks began in 1982, to have two touchdown receptions and a sack in the same game. Vrabel started 110-of-125 games and the Patriots were 95-30 in those games for a .760 winning percentage. He was a four-time team captain, including the 2006 season in which the defense set a franchise record by allowing just 14.8 points per game and just 237 points, the fewest by the Patriots in a 16-game season. His 48 career sacks with the team are the seventh-most in team history. In 2009, he was voted to the Patriots' 50th Anniversary Team as an outside linebacker along with Andre Tippett and the 2000s all-decade team along with Willie McGinest, both of whom are Patriots Hall of Famers.
About the Patriots Hall of Fame
The Patriots Hall of Fame was officially formed in 1991 after John Hannah became the first Patriots player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. With the hall of fame, the Patriots created a new way of honoring their greatest players. When The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon opened in 2008, Patriots players, past and present, finally had a place where their legacies would be preserved and available to fans year round. Enshrinement into The Hall is the franchise's highest honor befitting of the franchise's greatest players, with 30-foot video pylons displaying each enshrinee. Beginning in 2007, fans became part of the hall of fame tradition as active participants in the selection process.
This year's inductee will join other Patriot greats and two contributors as a member of the New England Patriots Hall of Fame (listed in alphabetical order below with year of induction):
Houston Antwine (2015)
Bruce Armstrong (2001)
Drew Bledsoe (2011)
Troy Brown (2012)
Tedy Bruschi (2013)
Nick Buoniconti (1992)
Gino Cappelletti (1992)
Ben Coates (2008)
Sam Cunningham (2010)
Bob Dee (1993)
Kevin Faulk (2016)
Steve Grogan (1995)
John Hannah (1991)
Mike Haynes (1994)
Jim Lee Hunt (1993)
Ty Law (2014)
Willie McGinest (2015)
Stanley Morgan (2007
Jon Morris (2011)
Jim Nance (2009)
Steve Nelson (1993)
Vito "Babe" Parilli (1993)
Andre Tippett (1999)
Contributors:
William H. "Billy" Sullivan, Jr. (2009)
Gil Santos (2013)
About The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon
The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon is the crown jewel of Patriot Place and the only sports and education experience of its kind. Through a dazzling array of interactive multimedia exhibits, artifacts never before viewable by the public and home of the Patriots' five Lombardi Trophies, The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon showcases the tradition of the New England Patriots, explores the history of football in New England and promotes math and science education for the thousands of schoolchildren who visit each year. For more information, please visit www.thehallatpatriotplace.com.
