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2016 NFL Hall of Fame semifinalists: Terrell Owens makes the list

Terrell Owens is one of the most prolific receivers in NFL history, and the former Buffalo Bills player is a first-time nominee to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year.

Matt Warren is Associate Director of NFL coverage for SB Nation and previously covered the Bills for Buffalo Rumblings for more than a decade.

The list of 25 Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalists was released earlier this week, and only one former Buffalo Bills player made the list: wide receiver Terrell Owens.

Owens is among the group that will be cut down to 15 finalists, and then debated and voted on at the Super Bowl.

Owens was a member of the Bills for only one season, but holds the record for longest reception in team history. Ryan Fitzpatrick connected with a 36-year old T.O. from his own end zone on a 98-yard catch and run. In that lone season, he caught 55 passes (the lowest number for a season where he played more than seven games) for 829 yards and five touchdowns, chipping in another score on the ground.

While Owens' career numbers clearly place him in the Hall of Fame, his candidacy is complicated by his enigmatic behavior and difficult relationships with coaches and teammates. He will likely be elected at some point, as the Hall of Fame committee has generally stuck to their "on the field" approach to a candidate's credentials.

Brett Favre is the name the tops the list as a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer, joining Owens as a candidate eligible for the first time. Another first-year candidate, Alen Faneca, joins Owens and Favre and the list of returning finalists: K Morten Andersen, S Steve Atwater, OT Tony Boselli, WR Isaac Bruce, coach Don Coryell, RB Roger Craig, RB Terrell Davis, coach Tony Dungy, LB Kevin Greene, WR Marvin Harrison, WR Torry Holt, OT Joe Jacoby, RB Edgerrin James, coach Jimmy Johnson, OT Mike Kenn, CB Ty Law, FS John Lynch, OL Kevin Mawae, LB Karl Mecklenburg, LB Sam Mills, OT Orlando Pace, and QB Kurt Warner.

If Owens is elected, the Bills will have representatives enshrined in three consecutive years following Andre Reed (2014) and Bill Polian (2015).