Former Browns coach Marty Schottenheimer is one step closer toward enshrinement in Canton.
Schottenheimer was named one of 12 Coach/Contributor finalists Thursday by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which will vote on one of the finalists for enshrinement in the Class of 2024 on Aug. 15.
Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Frank “Bucko” Kilroy, Robert Kraft, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Art Rooney Jr., Mike Shanahan, Clark Shaughnessy, Lloyd Wells and John Wooten were the other 11 finalists on the list.
Schottenheimer joined the Browns in 1980 and became the head coach in 1984, accruing a 44-27 record across five seasons. He boasts the third-best winning percentage (.620) of any Browns head coach who coached multiple seasons, and his 44 wins are the fourth-most in franchise history. He passed away in 2021.
Clay Matthews will have to wait until at least 2025 to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after the Hall’s Senior Committee eliminated the former Browns linebacker from list of 2024 senior candidates.
Matthews played for the Browns from 1978 to 1993 and then played three more seasons with the Falcons. He made the Pro Bowl four times, and although he played in three AFC championship games with the Browns, he never played in a Super Bowl. He was a semifinalist in 2021 but, obviously, was not among those elected by the Hall of Fame selection committee.