NFL: Immokalee's Edgerrin James named Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalist

Former Immokalee High School star Edgerrin James is another step closer to the Pro Football Hall of Fame once again.

James made the list of 27 semifinalists released Tuesday evening. January will be the next step when 15 finalists are named. James did not make that list last year after previously doing so.

First-year eligibles Ray Lewis and Randy Moss also were among the semifinalists. The hall said Tuesday that all ties for the 25th spot in the semifinals also advance.

Others in their initial year of eligibility who made this cut are Brian Urlacher, Richard Seymour, Steve Hutchinson and Ronde Barber.

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Four previously eligible players made the semifinals for the first time: LeRoy Butler, Leslie O'Neal, Simeon Rice and Everson Walls. All others on the 2018 list have reached the semifinals in previous years.

Already chosen as finalists are Bobby Beathard as a contributor, and Robert Brazile and Jerry Kramer as senior candidates.

Former center Matt Birk, a Naples resident, made the nominee list earlier this year, but was not selected as a semifinalist.

James had been a finalist in 2015, but was not selected for induction. Running backs LaDainian Tomlinson and Terrell Davis both were.

After graduating from Immokalee High School in 1996, James went on to play at the University of Miami and then 11 seasons in the NFL (1999-2009) for the Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks. He is 12th on the NFL's all-time rushing list with 12,246 yards, but Arizona running back Adrian Peterson is set to pass him as soon as this Sunday. 

James is one of four running backs in NFL history with four seasons of 1,500 yards or more. The other three – Barry Sanders, Eric Dickerson and Walter Payton – already are in the Hall of Fame.

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James first became eligible in 2014, five years after he last played in the NFL.

Of the 11 players ahead of James on the NFL's all-time rushing list, only one is not in the Hall of Fame. Colts running back Frank Gore is still active and seventh overall, and Peterson will become the second once he passes James.

James was the first Collier County high school graduate to play in a Super Bowl while with the Arizona Cardinals, who lost to the Steelers in Tampa. He played seven games for the Seattle Seahawks in 2009.

The other semifinalists are Steve Atwater, Tony Boselli, Isaac Bruce, Don Coryell, Roger Craig, Brian Dawkins, Alan Faneca, Torry Holt, Joe Jacoby, Jimmy Johnson, Ty Law, John Lynch, Kevin Mawae, Karl Mecklenburg, Terrell Owens and Hines Ward.

The election for the class of 2018 will be held Feb. 3, the day before the Super Bowl, in Minneapolis. Induction ceremonies in Canton, Ohio, will be in August.

Two coaches, Coryell and Johnson, made the cut. In all, there are 12 offensive players (five linemen, five receivers, two running backs) and 13 on defense (seven backs, three linebackers, three linemen).

Information from The Associated Press was used in this article.