Hines Ward and Jason Taylor made the initial cut in their first attempt for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it was announced Wednesday night.
Ward, MVP of Super Bowl XL, played 14 seasons for the Steelers. He owns the Steelers receiving records with 1,000 receptions and 12,083 yards.
Taylor played 15 seasons as a defensive end in the NFL for Miami, Washington and the New York Jets. He had 139.5 sacks and made six Pro Bowls.
Both retired after the 2011 season. They are among the 26 modern-era semifinalists announced by the Hall of Fame, culled in a vote from a list of 94 nominees. The list later will be pared to 15 finalists.
Among the others are former Steelers guard Alan Faneca, who was one of the 15 finalists in last year's balloting, his first year of eligibility, and Ty Law, a semifinalist for the third time. Law, a cornerback, played 15 seasons for four different NFL teams.
The other semifinalists: kicker Morten Anderson; safeties Darren Woodson, Steve Atwater, John Lynch and Brian Dawkins; tackles Joe Jacoby, Mike Kenn and Tony Boselli; wide receivers Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce and Terrell Owens;, coaches Jimmy Johnson and Don Coryell, running backs LaDainian Tomlinson, Roger Craig, Terrell Davis and Edgerrin James; guard/tackle Chris Hinton; linebackers Karl Mecklenburg and Clay Matthews; center/guard Kevin Mawae; and quarterback Kurt Warner.
