Pittsburgh Steelers

Dale Lolley: Why Alan Faneca belongs in the Hall of Fame

Maybe the fifth time will be a charm for Alan Faneca.

The former Steelers guard is among the finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame once again this year. The vote will come Saturday, Feb. 1, in Miami, the site of this year’s Super Bowl, with the 48 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee, who also will vote on the merits of former Steelers safety Troy Polamalu. But even more than Polamalu, Faneca might have the strongest case of the 15 finalists on this year’s list.

I’ll be presenting Faneca and Polamalu to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee. This will largely be my five-minute speech for Faneca.

A five-time finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- the most of any player among this year’s finalists -- Faneca was a six-time first-team All-Pro, more than any other of this year’s finalists. He’s one of just 12 guards in NFL history to earn first-team All-Pro status six or more times. The other 11 are all in the Hall of Fame.

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