Marvin Harrison, Edgerrin James, Tony Dungy Nominees for 2015 Hall of Fame Class

Get used to this over the next couple of years: former Colts were named nominees for the 2015 Hall of Fame Class last night.  Former Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison (1996-2008), running back Edgerrin James (1999-2005), head coach Tony Dungy (2002-2008), and offensive lineman Chris Hinton (1983-1989) were all named among the 112 nominees for the Class of 2015.  Later on, the list will be narrowed down quite a bit to some finalists, and then narrowed down again.  With perhaps the greatest run any team has ever had, there will be quite a few Colts appearing on this list in the coming years.

Marvin Harrison will get in this year.  I guess I should never be certain after the selection committee botched it last year, but him not getting in a year later would be an even bigger joke than him not getting in on his first year of eligibility.  He's the Colts' all-time leader in catches, yards, and receiving touchdowns, and he's among the NFL's all-time best as well.  His 1,102 receptions rank third all-time, his 14,580 receiving yards rank seventh all-time, and his 128 receiving touchdowns rank fifth all-time.  He holds the NFL record for most receptions in a single-season with 143 in 2002, and no one has really even come close to breaking it.  He was named to eight Pro Bowls in his career.  In eight straight seasons (1999-2006), he recorded at least 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns in every single year.  He caught at least one pass in every single game he ever played (190) and recorded sixteen different games with 10+ receptions, 59 different games with 100+ yards receiving, and 28 different games with multiple touchdown catches.  Along with Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison was part of the duo that set the record for most catches, yards, and touchdowns between a quarterback and receiver ever. He's a member of the Colts Ring of Honor, being inducted in 2011.

Edgerrin James is eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time this year.  In his career (most of which was with the Colts but also seeing stints with the Cardinals and Seahawks), Edge rushed for 12,246 yards and 80 touchdowns on 3,028 carries (4.0 yards per carry), ranking 11th all-time in rushing yards and 19th in rushing touchdowns.  He holds Colts franchise records for most rushing yards in a career, touchdowns in a career, rushing yards in a single-season, and 1,000+ yard rushing seasons.  He topped the 1,000 yard rushing mark six times in his career, five of which were with the Colts.  He also did a good job as a receiver, catching 433 passes for 3,364 yards and 11 touchdowns in his career.  In three different seasons (all with the Colts), Edge totaled more than 2,000 total yards from scrimmage.  He was the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year in 1999 (his rookie season) and was named to four Pro Bowls.  He is a member of the Colts Ring of Honor, being inducted in 2012.

Tony Dungy is eligible for the second year, like Marvin Harrison, and like Harrison he was a finalist last year.  Dungy coached the Colts for seven years, going 85-27 (.759) and winning five division titles, an AFC title, and Super Bowl XLI.  His Colts team made the playoffs in every single year he coached, and in the final six years they won 12 or more games each year.  In his career with both the Colts and the Buccaneers, Dungy went 139-69 (.688, which ranks as the 12th best mark all-time).  1n 13 seasons as a head coach, Dungy's teams missed the playoffs just twice and his teams finished with a losing record just once - his first year with the Bucs after taking over one of the worst franchises in pro sports, still managing 6 wins.  He implemented the "Tampa 2" defense and was known as a defensive guru throughout the league even before he became a head coach.  Also not to be overlooked is that he was the first African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl and was one of the most respected men in football during his time in the league and even still today.  I looked at Dungy's chances at making the Hall of Fame last year, and I still think that he'll probably get in at some point, though I expect him to have to wait a while.  Dungy is a member of the Colts Ring of Honor, being inducted in 2010.

Lastly, Chris Hinton was named one of the nominees for the 2015 Class, and he was an offensive lineman for the Colts from 1983-1989.  He has the distinction of being the one the Colts traded John Elway for, but Hinton also had a good career.  He made seven Pro Bowls (six of them with the Colts).  In other words, he played for the Colts for just seven years but made the Pro Bowl in all but one of them.  Hinton also is a member of the Colts Ring of Honor, being inducted in 2001.