NFL

• Rice, Smith headline 2010 NFL Hall of Fame class

  
  

  Fort Lauderdale, FL (Sports Network) - Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith were two of seven new members elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, the only first-year eligible players awarded the honor.

  Joining the NFL's all-time leading receiver and leading rusher in the 2010 class, as chosen by the Hall of Fame Selection Committee, are Russ Grimm, Rickey Jackson, John Randle, Dick LeBeau and Floyd Little -- the latter two both senior nominees.

  The original list of candidates consisted of 131 modern-era players and was whittled down to 25 semifinalists in November and 15 finalists in January, not including the two senior nominees. Each finalist had to receive a minimum vote of 80 percent to be elected.

  Each Hall-of-Fame class consists of between four to seven new members.

  02/06 17:48:58 ET