ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The list of 60 contained a peculiar absence.
There were 11 former Broncos who were among the 183 players nominated by a senior committee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2025.
None of made it to the round of 60.
However, former Colorado Buffalo players Boyd Dowler, who went on to be a star receiver for Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers in the 1960s, and Dick Anderson, a safety for the famed Miami Dolphins' teams of the early 1970s, did make the cut to 60 senior nominees.
The 11 players who played a significant portion of their careers in Denver but did not advance: Sammy Winder, running back; Bob Scarpitto, receiver/punter; Lionel Taylor, receiver, Rick Upchurch, receiver/returner; Lyle Alzado, defensive end; Rich “Tombstone” Jackson, defensive end; Michael Dean Perry, defensive tackle; Tom Jackson, linebacker; Karl Mecklenburg, linebacker/defensive end; Dennis Smith, safety, and Louis Wright, cornerback.
Also nominated but not making the cut were longtime Broncos scout Cornell Green, a great defensive back for the Dallas Cowboys, and former Colorado Buff running back Byron "Whizzer" White.
Eventually, only three senior players will go to final vote for election. A look at the 60 senior nominees for the HOF class of 2025:
QUARTERBACKS (5): Ken Anderson, Charlie Conerly, Roman Gabriel, Jack Kemp, Jim Plunkett.
RUNNING BACKS (7): Alan Ameche, Ottis Anderson, Larry Brown, Roger Craig, Chuck Foreman, Cecil Isbell, Paul “Tank” Younger.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS (10): Mark Clayton, Isaac Curtis, Boyd Dowler, Henry Ellard, Harold Jackson, Billy "White Shoes” Johnson, Stanley Morgan, Art Powell, Sterling Sharpe, Otis Taylor.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (12): Ed Budde, Ox Emerson, Bill Fralic, Chris Hinton, Joe Jacoby, Mike Kenn, Bob Kuechenberg, George Kunz, Ralph Neely, Dick Schafrath, Jim Tyrer, Al Wistert.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (6): L.C. Greenwood, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Jim Marshall, Harvey Martin, Leslie O’Neal, Bill Stanfill.
LINEBACKERS (11): Carl Banks, Maxie Baughan, Bill Bergey, Joe Fortunato, Larry Grantham, Lee Roy Jordan, Clay Matthews Jr., Tommy Nobis, Andy Russell, Pat Swilling, Phil Villapiano.
DEFENSIVE BACKS (8): Dick Anderson, Deron Cherry, Pat Fischer, Lester Hayes, Albert Lewis, Eddie Meador, Lemar Parrish, Everson Walls.
SPECIAL TEAMS (1): Steve Tasker.
