GREEN BAY – Former Packers S LeRoy Butler, WRs Sterling Sharpe and Donald Driver, and head coach Mike Holmgren are among the 108 modern-era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018.
Butler, a four-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler, played in 181 regular-season games from 1990-2001. He was the first NFL defensive back to surpass 20 interceptions and 20 sacks in a career, finishing with 38 and 20½, respectively.
Sharpe was selected to five Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams from 1988-94. He ranks second in franchise history in both receptions (595) and receiving touchdowns (65), and third with 8,134 receiving yards. He led the NFL in receiving touchdowns twice in his career, which was cut short by a neck injury in 1994.
Driver, the franchise's all-time leading receiver with 10,137 yards, is one of 11 first-time nominees. A seventh-round pick in 1999, Driver was selected to three Pro Bowls and won a Super Bowl during his 14 seasons in Green Bay.
Mike Holmgren presided over the Packers' on-field resurgence from 1992-98, compiling a .670 winning percentage during the regular season in addition to guiding the Packers to their first Super Bowl championship in 29 years.
All four individuals are members of the Packers Hall of Fame.
C Jeff Saturday (2012), LB Seth Joyner (1997), DT Keith Millard (1992) and P Sean Landeta (1998) are also among this year's nominees with previous ties to the Packers.
Clay Matthews Jr., the father of the Packers linebacker, is again listed as a nominee. He played 19 seasons in the NFL with stops in Cleveland and Atlanta.
The 108 nominees will be pared down to a list of semifinalists later this fall, and then reduced again to the finalists, who will be discussed by the Hall of Fame selection committee on Super Bowl weekend.
Former Packers guard Jerry Kramer is already a finalist for the Class of 2018 as a senior committee nominee.
