DeBartolo Jr. nominated to 2005 class

The former 49ers owner won five Super Bowls.
CANTON -- Former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. is on the list of eligible candidates on the preliminary list of nominees for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2005.
DeBartolo owned the 49ers from 1977 until May 2000, when he transferred ownership to John and Marie DeBartolo York.
Under Eddie DeBartolo Jr.'s guidance, the 49ers won five Super Bowl championships and made the postseason 16 years.
89 on nominee list
There are 89 players, coaches and contributors on the preliminary list. Hall of Fame selectors will choose 25 semifinal candidates in November.
The semifinalists will be reduced by a mail ballot to 13 modern-era candidates. That list will increase to 15 finalists with the addition of two previously announced Senior Committee nominees, Benny Friedman and Fritz Pollard.
The Class of 2005 will be selected from the list of 15 finalists. The voting will be conducted at the Selection Committee's annual meeting, which will be held Feb. 5, 2005, in Jacksonville, Florida, the day before Super Bowl XXXIX. The election results will be announced immediately after the meeting at a press conference in the media headquarters. While there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the ground rules provide that between three and six new members will be selected.
Friedman, a two-time All-America quarterback at Michigan, played with the Cleveland Bulldogs (1927), Detroit Wolverines (1928), New York Giants (1929-1931), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1932-1934). Pollard, an All-America at Brown, played and sometimes coached for four different NFL teams, the Akron Pros/Indians (1919-21/1925-26), the Milwaukee Badgers (1922), the Hammond Pros (1923, 1925), and the Providence Steam Roller (1925). Fritz also spent time in 1922 and 1923 playing for the strong independent pro teams in the Pennsylvania "Coal League."
Marino, Young included
Among the first-year eligible candidates are former All-Pro quarterbacks Dan Marino and Steve Young. Other first-year eligible candidates include wide receiver Michael Irvin, and linebacker Derrick Thomas. Also on the preliminary list are four former head coaches, and eleven contributors, including NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
To be considered for Hall of Fame election, a nominated player must have been retired at least five years. For a non-player, there is no mandatory retirement period, but a coach must be retired before he may be considered. A contributor, who is a nominee who has made outstanding contributions to pro football in capacities other than playing or coaching, may still be active in his pro football career.