Rich McKay among 54 semifinalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Former Bucs general manager Rich McKay, whose 10-season tenure included the hiring of Tony Dungy, delicate negotiations for a new stadium and the franchise’s first Super Bowl, is one step closer to Canton.

The current Falcons president and CEO is among 54 seniors, coaches and contributors named Thursday as semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023.

The respective selection committees will vote to send 12 seniors and 12 coach/contributors to the finalists stage. The results will be announced July 27.

McKay, named in the coach/contributor category, faces daunting odds to reach the finalist phase. Other semifinalists in his category include former coaches Mike Holmgren, Marty Schottenheimer, Dan Reeves and Mike Shanahan; as well as Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

The son of the first coach in Bucs history (John McKay) and a former team ball boy, McKay served as the team’s vice president of football administration from 1992-94 before being promoted to general manager. A 1977 Jesuit High alumnus, he hired Dungy to replace Sam Wyche in January 1996, setting off the franchise’s first sustained heyday.

That stretch included five postseason berths and a Super Bowl title in a six-year span, not to mention an influx of transformational players. McKay remains the only general manager in NFL history to have the first two draft picks on his watch (Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks) ultimately reach Canton, according to the Hall of Fame.

But he never could resolve his glaring philosophical clash with Jon Gruden, whom the Glazer family hired to replace Dungy after the 2001 season, and left for the same job in Atlanta late in the 2003 season. McKay remained Falcons general manager until 2008 before being moved to team president.

Other semifinalists include former Bengals All-Pro cornerback and Florida A&M coach and Bartow native Ken Riley, a semifinalist in the seniors category. Riley died in 2020.

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