The Hall of Fame’s 2025 class was announced on Thursday evening at the NFL Honors. The class includes wide receiver Sterling Sharpe, defensive end Jared Allen, cornerback Eric Allen and tight end Antonio Gates. But there was one name not on the list that absolutely should have been: former Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren.
In his first year as a Hall of Fame finalist, Holmgren was not voted into Canton. Holmgren was also the only player/coach/contributor with any connection to the Seahawks in the finalist stage, as fellow former Seattle head coach Chuck Knox and former safety Earl Thomas – in his his first year of eligibility – did not make it past the semifinalist stage.
Holmgren’s accomplishments as a head coach have been overlooked for far too long. He is one of only seven head coaches to take two separate franchises to the Super Bowl, and was the first coach in league history to win at least 75 games with two teams. Holmgren also delivered a Lombardi to Green Bay for the first time since literally the first two Super Bowls, and took the Seahawks to their first appearance in franchise history.
But Holmgren’s impact was not limited to simply winning football games. Where Holmgren also had a massive impact was developing other head coaches and executives. In total, eleven of his former assistants went on to become head coaches themselves, which include:
- Andy Reid
- Jon Gruden
- Steve Mariucci
- Ray Rhodes
We don’t need a lesson on how many assistants of both Reid and Gruden have gone on to become a head coach themselves. But to name a few… Doug Pederson, Ron Rivera, Jay Gruden, and Matt LaFleur. All of their careers can eventually be traced back to one man: Mike Holmgren.
Andy Reid even took time during Super Bowl media week to discuss his former boss, and expressed hope he would get in.
I asked Andy Reid about Mike Holmgren’s Hall of Fame candidacy at the #SuperBowl
“When I worked for him, I couldn’t believe that anybody does it better than he does. And now that I have been a head coach for all these years, I feel the same way. So he’s got my vote for sure.” pic.twitter.com/UctgYzH8sc
— Dave Schroeder (@SchroederWBAY) February 6, 2025
While I am sure Holmgren would have loved to get in, he still had plenty to say about his former receiver, Sterling Sharpe, who did.
Mike Holmgren didn’t make the Hall of Fame, but here’s a snippet of what he told me about his time with now Hall of Famer Sterling Sharpe:
“I always felt like he should be in the Hall of Fame. When I got to Green Bay, you might remember, he was the star.” #Packers pic.twitter.com/3rbPawPN77
— John Miller (@JohnMillerNBC26) February 7, 2025
Holmgren is a class act, and we can only hope eventually the voters see the light and enshrine him where he belongs… Canton.
