Bettis, Dungy, Andersen among Hall of Fame finalists

Maybe this is the year Jan Stenerud finally gets some company.

Former Michigan State star Morten Andersen is one of 18 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and if he's elected later this month, he'll join Stenerud as the only pure kickers in Canton.

Andersen, one of three finalists with local ties, is the NFL's all-time leading scorer with 2,544 points. He played 25 seasons with five different teams and was selected to seven Pro Bowls.

Running back Jerome Bettis, a star at Detroit Mackenzie who rushed for 13,662 yards in 13 NFL seasons, and Jackson native Tony Dungy, who won a Super Bowl as Indianapolis Colts coach, also are finalists.

Andersen, Bettis and Dungy also made the cut of 15 modern-era finalists last year.

The rest of this year's modern-era finalists are: quarterback Kurt Warner; running back Terrell Davis; receivers Tim Brown and Marvin Harrison; offensive linemen Orlando Pace and Will Shields; defensive ends Charles Haley and Kevin Greene; linebacker Junior Seau; safety John Lynch; and coaches Don Coryell and Jimmy Johnson.

Warner, Pace and Seau are in their first year as finalists.

Two contributor finalists, team executives Bill Polian and Ron Wolf, and senior committee nominee Mick Tingelhoff also will be up for election when the 46-person Hall-of-Fame selection committee meets Jan. 31.

To be elected to the Hall of Fame, a finalist must receive a minimum of 80% of the vote.

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.