Projo Pats Blog

New England has just announced the three men fans will select from for entry into the Patriots Hall of Fame this year.

The finalists for the 2009 one-man induction class are: defensive tackle Houston Antwine, center Jon Morris and running back Jim Nance.

Fans can vote beginning today at www.patriots.com; voting continues through May 31. There is only one vote allowed per computer IP address.

A bit from each player from the team's release:

Houston Antwine played for the Patriots for 11 seasons, appearing in 142 games from 1961-71. He led the Patriots in sacks in three consecutive seasons from 1967-69 and his 39.0 career sacks are tied for 10th (with Richard Seymour) on the Patriots all-time career sacks list. Antwine earned six consecutive American Football League (AFL) All-Star selections from 1963-68. His six all-star appearances are tied for the third highest total in franchise history. He was acquired in trade from the Houston Oilers in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 1962 AFL Draft on April 1, 1962.

Jon Morris played for the Patriots for 11 seasons, appearing in 130 games from 1964-74. He earned seven consecutive AFL All-Star appearances from 1964-70, and his seven league All-Star selections ranks second in Patriots history behind Pro Football Hall of Famer John Hannah (9). Morris anchored an offensive line that opened holes for Jim Nance to amass a team-record 45 rushing touchdowns from 1965-71. He was selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 1964 AFL Draft out of Holy Cross.

Jim Nance played for the Patriots for seven seasons, appearing in 94 games from 1965-71. His 45 rushing touchdowns are a franchise record, while his 5,323 rushing yards place second in team history. He was the AFL's Most Valuable Player in 1966, leading the league with 1,458 rushing yards - the highest single-season total in the AFL's 10-year history and a mark that stood as a Patriots record for 30 years (1966-95). Nance was the AFL's leading rusher again in 1967, totaling 1,216 yards. He was selected by the Patriots in the 19th round of the 1965 AFL Draft out of Syracuse.

 Tags  Houston Antwine Jim Nance Jon Morris Patriots Hall of Fame

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