Belichick, Coughlin, Holmgren, Reeves and Shanahan Advance in Hall of Fame's Class of 2027 Coach Race

Bill Belichick is back in the running for Canton. Belichick, Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Dan Reeves and Mike Shanahan have advanced in the process for possible election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2027 in the coach category, the Hall announced Thursday.

The Hall's Coach Subcommittee narrowed a list that originally included 14 nominees down to these five. According to the Hall, all five reached this same stage a year ago, when Belichick was chosen as the category's candidate for the Class of 2026. He was not elected in his first year of eligibility, an outcome the Associated Press noted drew heavy criticism around the league.

What Happens Next

The subcommittee will discuss the five at length when it meets virtually on Nov. 17, and it will pick one of them as the coach candidate. That coach joins 13 modern-era players and one contributor as the 15 finalists the full Selection Committee will consider at its annual meeting ahead of Super Bowl LXI.

Under the Hall's bylaws, between three and seven new members will be selected. The AP reported that the 25-person Selection Committee can vote for six people and that a finalist needs 80% support to get in. The Class of 2027 will be revealed at NFL Honors in Los Angeles in February and enshrined in Canton next August, with the firm EY LLP overseeing the vote.

The coach candidate will share the ballot with whichever contributor comes out of a group of five announced Wednesday: Ralph Hay, Robert Kraft, Virginia McCaskey, Doug Williams and John Wooten. The last coach elected was Don Coryell, in the Class of 2023, according to the Hall.

The Five Coaches

• Bill Belichick: Head coach of the Cleveland Browns (1991-95) and New England Patriots (2000-2023). He went 333-178 including playoffs, won six Super Bowls as a head coach and two more as a New York Giants defensive assistant. He is now in his second season at North Carolina.
• Tom Coughlin: Head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-2002) and New York Giants (2004-15). He went 182-157 including playoffs over 20 seasons and won two Super Bowls with the Giants, both against Belichick's Patriots, plus another as a Giants assistant.
• Mike Holmgren: Head coach of the Green Bay Packers (1992-98) and Seattle Seahawks (1999-2008). He went 174-122 including the postseason, won a Super Bowl in two trips with Green Bay, took Seattle to another and won two titles as a San Francisco 49ers assistant. He also reached the Selection Committee's annual meeting in 2020 and 2025.
• Dan Reeves: Head coach of the Denver Broncos (1981-92), New York Giants (1993-96) and Atlanta Falcons (1997-2003). He went 201-174-2 including playoffs and led Denver to three Super Bowls and Atlanta to one, going 0-4, after winning a title as a Dallas Cowboys assistant. Reeves died on Jan. 1, 2022, at 77, the Associated Press reported.
• Mike Shanahan: Head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders (1988-89), Denver Broncos (1995-2008) and Washington (2010-13). He went 178-144 including playoffs, won back-to-back Super Bowls in Denver and won another title as a 49ers assistant.

Together, the five won 11 Super Bowls as head coaches, and every one of them also earned a ring as an assistant. Only one will move on from the Nov. 17 meeting.

Sources: Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Associated Press and Giants.com. More NFL coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: Brian J. McDermott via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).