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Former Eagle Dawkins a Hall of Fame finalist

BRIAN DAWKINS moved another step closer to Canton Tuesday when the former Eagles safety was announced as one of the 15 modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2017.

BRIAN DAWKINS moved another step closer to Canton Tuesday when the former Eagles safety was announced as one of the 15 modern-era finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2017.

The list of finalists also includes another former Eagle - wide receiver Terrell Owens. Owens, who played for the Eagles in 2004-05, also was a finalist last year, but didn't get in.

This is Dawkins' first year of eligibility. Players and coaches can't be considered until they've been retired for five years. Dawkins, 43, retired after the 2011 season.

He played 16 seasons in the league, including the first 13 with the Eagles after they selected him in the second round of the 1996 draft out of Clemson. He spent the final three seasons of his career with the Denver Broncos.

Joining Dawkins and Owens as modern-era finalists are kicker Morten Andersen, offensive linemen Tony Boselli, Alan Faneca, Kevin Mawae and Joe Jacoby, running backs LaDainian Tomlinson and Terrell Davis, quarterback Kurt Warner, defensive end Jason Taylor, wide receiver Isaac Bruce, defensive backs Ty Law and John Lynch and coach Don Coryell.

There also is a senior finalist - safety Kenny Easley - and two contributor finalists - Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

"I'm excited that my name is amongst these guys," Dawkins said Tuesday upon learning that he is a finalist. "I never dreamed that I would be in the NFL for 16 years and doing what I did for the Eagles and the Broncos.

"To have my name amongst those guys is a tremendous, tremendous honor. If I do get the chance to some day be in the Hall of Fame, whether it be this year or sometime in the future, it will be a wonderful opportunity for me to share something that many guys would love to share. And that's to have their name mentioned with many of the greats of the sport."

The 2017 Hall of Fame class will be announced on Saturday, Feb. 4, the day before Super Bowl LI in Houston.

The Hall's 48-person selection committee will meet in Houston for about eight hours, thoroughly discuss all of the finalists, then hold reduction votes that will whittle the list of finalists from 15 to 10 and then to five.

At that point, there will be individual yes-or-no votes on the final five. Once a candidate makes it to the final five, he needs 80 percent approval (39 of 48 votes) to be selected.

Easley, Jones and Tagliabue also need 80 percent approval for selection.

Dawkins, Taylor and Tomlinson all are finalists in their first year of eligibility.

Andersen, Lynch and Coryell are finalists for the fourth time. Davis and Warner are three-time finalists. This is the second time for Owens, Jacoby and Faneca. Mawae, Bruce, Boselli and Law are first-time finalists.

Dawkins is one of the greatest defensive players in Eagles history. He was the straw that stirred the drink for Jim Johnson's great defenses. He is the only defensive back in the history of the game with more than 25 interceptions (37), forced fumbles (36) and sacks (26).

"That defense was designed around Dawk and his playmaking ability," former teammate Quintin Mikell said. "Jim knew how to play to people's strengths.

"It wasn't a secret that we were going to put Dawk in a position to make plays. A lot of the plays, the blitzes, the coverages, they all were designed for him to take away their best player or for him to make plays. And that's what he did."

Mikell and Dawkins both work in the Eagles' front office now. Mikell is the team's director of player engagement. Dawkins is a football operations executive.

@Pdomo

Blog: philly.com/Eaglesblog