CANTON, OH (WOIO) -
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Selection Committee held its annual election meeting today and elected six individuals to the Class of 2012. Bringing the total number of members in the Hall of Fame to 273 are cornerback Jack Butler, center Dermontti Dawson, defensive end/linebacker Chris Doleman, defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy, running back Curtis Martin, and tackle Willie Roaf.
Today's annual selection meeting was held in Indianapolis, site of Super Bowl XLVI. The newest members of the Hall of Fame were selected from a list of 17 finalists who had been determined earlier by the Selection Committee.
Butler, a member of the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1950s, intercepted 52 passes, four of which he returned for scores, in his nine-season career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Dawson, a member of the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s, was named to the Pro Bowl seven straight seasons and was an All-Pro selection six consecutive years. The NFL Alumni's Offensive Lineman of the Year in 1996, Dawson played in 184 career games for the Steelers.
Doleman racked up 150.5 career sacks in his 15-season career which ranked fourth all-time when he retired. He had 10 or more sacks in a season eight times.
Kennedy, the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1992, earned eight Pro Bowl berths and was named first-team All-Pro three straight seasons. He was also named to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s.
Martin rushed for 1,000 yards in each of his first 10 NFL seasons. He retired as the game's fourth all-time leading rusher with 14,101 yards and had 90 rushing touchdowns.
Roaf, a seven-time, first-team All-NFL choice, starred for nine seasons with the New Orleans Saints and four years with the Kansas City Chiefs. In all, he played in 189 career games and was voted to 11 Pro Bowls.
The 2012 class will be formally enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012. The Enshrinement Ceremony takes place at Fawcett Stadium in Canton and will be televised live by both NFL Network and ESPN.
The annual NFL/Hall of Fame Game which kicks off the NFL's preseason will be played on Sunday, Aug. 5 and broadcast live by NBC. Teams have not yet been announced.
The Enshrinement Ceremony is the marquee event of the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival which consists of 18 public events over an 11-day period.
-PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME WEBSITE
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