Nearly 15 years after he last coached an NFL game, long-time Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren has been selected as one of 54 semi-finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2023 Class.
Holmgren, 74, nearly broke through as a finalist in the NFL's "Centennial Slate" in 2020, but was among the coaches who didn't make the cut that year. Then in 2021, he didn't make it out of the semi-finalist stage to become a finalist for a second straight year.
Originally entering the NFL as a quarterbacks coach for the 49ers in 1986, Holmgren quickly moved up the ranks to become an offensive coordinator in 1989. Serving as an assistant for two Super Bowl champions and coaching Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Steve Young, he earned his first head coaching opportunity from the Packers in 1992 and promptly turned around the franchise's fortunes.
Though Green Bay missed the postseason in Holmgren's first season at the helm, he led the organization to the playoffs each of the next six seasons. After losing in the divisional or NFC Championship round three consecutive seasons from 1993 to 1995, the Packers returned to the mountaintop as Super Bowl champions in 1996, beating the Patriots to capture the franchise's third Lombardi Trophy and first since 1967.
In a surprising decision, Holmgren left the Packers after the 1998 season and took over as the Seahawks coach and general manager. Just as he did in Titletown, he oversaw a rapid turnaround, leading Seattle to an AFC West championship and playoff berth in his first season.
Over the next three of seasons, Holmgren struggled to find a franchise quarterback and Seattle failed to return to the postseason. But with Matt Hasselbeck's emergence under center and running back Shaun Alexander running behind future Hall of Famers Steve Hutchinson and Walter Jones, the team reached the playoffs five consecutive years from 2003 to 2007, including advancing to the franchise's first Super Bowl in 2005.
When Holmgren stepped down following the 2008 season, he had 86 regular wins on his resume in the Pacific Northwest, more than any coach in franchise history. Pete Carroll has since surpassed that mark, but when accounting for his 75 wins with the Packers, Holmgren currently ranks 16th all-time in regular season victories and seventh in playoff victories. He's also one of only seven coaches ever to lead two different NFL franchises to the Super Bowl.
Last October, Holmgren became the 13th member of Seattle's Ring of Honor, with Hasselbeck being inducted one week later. After coming up short in recent years, he will be hoping to break through and finally receive a much-deserved Hall of Fame call.
To make that happen, Holmgren will have to be selected as one of 12 finalists in the coach/contributor category through a committee vote this month. Voting results will be released on July 27.
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