CANTON, Ohio – The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that 60 individuals have advanced to the next stage of the voting process for the Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 in the Seniors category. BGSU and MAC Hall of Famer Phil Villapiano is one of those 60 players.
To be considered, each former player must have last appeared in a professional football game during the 1999 season or earlier.
The Seniors Screening Committee, a newly created entity to provide additional input to the overall selection process, cast ballots for 50 individuals from a list of 182 nominees, consisting of 100 offensive players, 77 defensive players, and five special teamers. All players tied for the 50th position remain under consideration.
A separate nine-person Seniors Blue-Ribbon Committee will make further reductions in increments over the coming weeks. In late fall, this committee will select three Seniors as finalists for potential election with the Class of 2025, presented by Visual Edge IT.
Selected by the Raiders in the 2nd round of the 1971 NFL Draft, Villapiano played in 118 games, starting 117, for the team. He recorded 11 interceptions for 160 yards and 1 touchdown, and recovered 17 fumbles. He was a key member of several playoff teams, including the Raiders’ Super Bowl XI championship team.
He famously made the game-sealing interception in the “Sea of Hands” game against Miami during the 1974 playoffs. Villapiano finished his career with the Buffalo Bills, playing from 1980-83. During his NFL career was a four-time Pro Bowler.
At Bowling Green, Villapiano was a three-year starter at defensive end for the Falcons and earned first-team All-MAC honors as a junior and senior.
In 1970, his outstanding performance earned him the MAC Defensive Player of the Year award. After his senior season, he was selected for three post-season all-star teams, including the Senior Bowl, which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2018.
