Finally! Former Jaguars star Fred Taylor a finalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Fred Taylor is finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Finally!

For the first time after five consecutive years of being a semifinalist, Taylor, a Jaguars icon, was named a Modern-Era finalist for the football Hall on Wednesday night. Taylor was among 15 players to advance to the next stage of the process. The 15 finalists will be trimmed to 10 and then five during the selection meeting early next year. Those final five are then voted on individually — a yes or a no — and must receive 80% of the vote from the Hall’s 50-member selection committee to be elected. There are also four candidates for enshrinement in the Coach/Contributor and Seniors categories.

The big hurdle for Taylor was clearing the semifinalist stage so that his case can be presented to the Hall of Fame voting bloc next month. Once Taylor’s career is laid out for the voters to take in, there’s a good shot that his candidacy will gain traction, much like former Jaguars offensive tackle Tony Boselli’s did.

Among the first-time finalists like Taylor are tight end Antonio Gates and defensive end Julius Peppers. Gates seems like the only sure thing among the 15, a potential perk for Taylor, the only running back among the finalists.

Jared Allen, Willie Anderson, Dwight Freeney, Devin Hester, Torry Holt, Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, Patrick Willis and Darren Woodson also returned to the finalist stage. Four finalists previously announced are Buddy Parker in the coaching category, and Randy Gradishar, Steve McMichael and Art Powell in the senior category. They also will get in if they get support from at least 80% of voters.

For Taylor, it’s another step on the path to potential enshrinement. He rushed for 11,695 yards in his career, a number that ranks 17th in NFL history. Taylor scored 66 rushing touchdowns and another eight receiving.

All but two of the running backs in front of Taylor are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the exceptions of Frank Gore (16,000, No. 3) and Adrian Peterson (14,918, No. 5), both of whom aren’t yet eligible. The knock on Taylor has been injuries — he played a full 16-game season just twice in 11 years in Jacksonville — and he made just one Pro Bowl. Similar arguments were made against Boselli, who played just seven seasons due to career-ending shoulder injuries. But Boselli was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All-Pro selection, and was widely regarded as one of the best players at his position in the 1990s. He was enshrined last year.

Taylor holds seven of the top 10 single-season rushing performances in franchise history. His career-best season (1,572 yards, 6 TDs) came in 2003. He was drafted ninth overall out of the University of Florida in 1998 and became a star as soon as Tom Coughlin put him in the lineup full-time in Week 3 of his rookie season. Taylor rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown and had another 85 yards receiving.

The legend in Jacksonville was born.

Taylor rushed for 1,223 yards and 14 touchdowns that season, numbers that would have made him a shoo-in as rookie of the year just about any year. But receiver Randy Moss had an otherworldly rookie season (1,313 receiving yards, 17 TDs) for a Minnesota team that finished 15-1.

Taylor spent 11 seasons in Jacksonville and his final two with the Patriots.