Ex-Steelers coaches Bill Cowher, Buddy Parker, safety Donnie Shell named Hall of Fame finalists

Former Pittsburgh Steelers coaches Bill Cowher and Buddy Parker, Super Bowl-winning Steelers safety Donnie Shell and Pitt and Freedom High School alumnus Jimbo Covert were among 38 finalists for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Thursday.

Cowher and Parker are among eight coaches, and Covert and Shell among 20 players who join 10 contributors from which 15 will be chosen as part of a Centennial Class in conjunction with the NFL’s 100th anniversary. Five modern-era players also will be enshrined.

Cowher won 161 games (counting the postseason) as Steelers coach, including Super Bowl XL. A Crafton native, he led the Steelers from 1992-2006.

Parker went 51-47-6 coaching the Steelers from 1957-64, but his candidacy is tied more to the two NFL championships he won leading the Detroit Lions in 1952 and 1953.

Shell is arguably the biggest name from the 1970s Super Steelers who has yet to be honored by the Hall of Fame. A safety for four Super Bowl champions over his 14 seasons with the Steelers, Shell was inducted into the first class of the Steelers in-house Hall of Honor.

Covert is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and Pitt’s all-time team, and he’s had his No. 75 retired by Pitt. One of his two All Pro honored seasons came when the Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl in 1985. A member of the Bears from 1983-1991, Covert was part of the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 1980s.

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