Pro Football Hall of Fame nominees: Could 2013 be Jerome Bettis' year?

The list of 127 nominees for the 2013 NFL Hall of Fame class has been released, and although no Pittsburgh Steelers players made the list of first-year eligible nominees, Jerome Bettis is once again up for enshrinement after being a finalist for two consecutive years.

13 players became eligible for the first time in 2013, including Steve McNair, Priest Holmes, Warren Sapp, and Michael Strahan. Bettis was first-year eligible in 2011, and has been made one of 15 finalists in each of the past two classes, but has not made the cut to receive a gold jacket. Four to seven players are inducted to the Hall of Fame each year, and Bettis will likely once again be on the brink of induction. Bettis has the sixth-most rushing yards in NFL history and his 94 career touchdowns are the 23rd most. The Bus was a three-time all-Pro, six-time Pro Bowler ten of his 13 years with Pittsburgh, including his only Super Bowl championship in 2005.

Other Steelers amongst the 127 nominees include Jeff Hartings, Kevin Greene, Gary Anderson, coaches Bud Carson, Buddy Parker, and Bill Cowher, as well as team President Art Rooney Jr., but among these only Greene has ever been a finalist and most of them made their name with teams besides Pittsburgh.