Hall of Fame Class of 2026 By the (Jersey) Numbers

The Pro Football Hall of Fame will enshrine five new inductees on August 8. The newest Gold Jackets are quarterback Drew Brees, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, linebacker Luke Kuechly, kicker Adam Vinatieri and running back Roger Craig. All five have unique qualifications that earned them this honor. One thing that is not new: All five wore jersey numbers that are already hanging in the Hall.

With the new class, there are 316 former players among the 387 Gold Jackets in Canton, Ohio. Those 316 players have worn 94 different jersey numbers — from 00 (Jim Otto) to 99 (Dan Hampton, Warren Sapp, Jason Taylor).

For the record, the six jersey numbers that are not represented are 6, 41, 43, 46, 67 and 98.

The jersey number worn by the most Hall of Famers: 81. The nine immortals who wore 81 are:

Doug Atkins
Tim Brown
Carl Eller
Calvin Johnson
Night Train Lane
Art Monk
Terrell Owens
Andy Robustelli
Jackie Smith

As for the Class of 2026, they all share a jersey number with impressive company:

Drew Brees (9)

Brees is just the second No. 9 to be enshrined, joining fellow quarterback Sonny Jurgensen. Both players have an NFL championship on their résumé, and both were prolific passers. Jurgensen led the league in passing yards five times and passing touchdowns twice. Brees led the league in passing yards seven times and TD passes four times.

Larry Fitzgerald (11)

Fitzgerald is the fourth No. 11 to be enshrined, though he is the first to have played an NFL game since 1960. Halfback Joe Guyon and tackle Link Lyman were NFL stars in the 1920s and ‘30s. Quarterback Norm Van Brocklin won NFL championships in 1951 (with the Los Angeles Rams) and 1960 (with the Philadelphia Eagles). Van Brocklin was league MVP in 1960. Unlike Guyon, Lyman and Van Brocklin, Fitzgerald has never won an NFL title — but he is second behind Jerry Rice in all-time receptions and receiving yards.

Luke Kuechly (59)

Kuechly is the second No. 59 to be enshrined, and it’s an apropos pair. Kuechly was a hard-nosed, blue-collar tackling machine who played his entire career with one team, the Carolina Panthers. A five-time first-team All-Pro, Kuechly was named Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2012 and Defensive Player of the Year in 2013. Linebacker Jack Ham was also a hard-nosed, blue-collar tackling machine who played his entire career with one team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ham was a six-time first-team All-Pro. He didn’t win the individual honors Kuechly did, but he does have four Super Bowl rings and four defensive teammates who also are in the Hall of Fame.

Adam Vinatieri (4)

Vinatieri is the third No. 4 to be enshrined, joining quarterback Brett Favre and fullback Tuffy Leemans. He’s also just the third primary placekicker in the Hall, joining Jan Stenerud and Morten Andersen. While Favre, Leemans and Stenerud each have one NFL title under their belts, Vinatieri has four.

Roger Craig (33)

Craig is the fourth No. 33 to be enshrined. The three-time Super Bowl champ with the San Francisco 49ers is the third Gold Jacket running back to wear the number, joining Dallas Cowboys great Tony Dorsett and Ollie Matson, one of the NFL’s best halfbacks of the 1950s. The other No. 33 in Canton is legendary three-way star Slingin’ Sammy Baugh, whose unprecedented 1943 season will forever be the only time that one player leads the league in passing, punting and interceptions.