Former Steelers Hines Ward and James Harrison don’t make it as Hall of Fame finalists

The Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee once again passed over former Pittsburgh Steelers players Hines Ward and James Harrison.

Neither Ward nor Harrison made it to the 15 finalists the Hall of Fame announced Saturday.

Ward made the list of 25 semifinalists for the ninth time and Harrison reached the semifinals for the third time. Ward retired after the 2011 season and Harrison played for the last time in 2017.

Ward is the franchise career leader with 1,000 receptions and was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XL. Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown before halftime of Super Bowl XLIII was a defining moment in the team’s sixth championship.

Former Penn State offensive lineman Steve Wisniewski also missed the cut to 15 finalists.

Five finalists are in their first year of eligibility, and nine reached this stage of the process last year. The selection committee will select up to five modern players for the 2025 class at its pre-Super Bowl meeting.

The Hall of Fame inductees will be announced during the pre-Super Bowl festivities.

The first finalists are Luke Kuechly, Eli Manning, Terrell Suggs, Adam Vinatieri and Marshall Yanda. Steve Smith Sr. also reached the finals for the first time in his fourth year of eligibility. Fred Taylor, Jahri Evans, Eric Allen and Antonio Gates are finalists for the second time. Darren Woodson reached the final for the third time. The other finalists are Willie Anderson (fourth), Jared Allen (fifth), Torry Holt (sixth) and Reggie Wayne (sixth).