Antonio Gates, Jared Allen, Eric Allen, Sterling Sharpe to enter Hall

NEW ORLEANS — Antonio Gates, Jared Allen, Eric Allen and Sterling Sharpe were voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the smallest induction class in 20 years following offseason rule changes meant to make it harder to get inducted.

Sharpe got in as a seniors candidate in voting announced Thursday night at the NFL Honors and will join younger brother Shannon as the first siblings ever inducted into the Hall. Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning fell short and won’t join older brother Peyton in Canton, Ohio, this year.

Shannon delivered the news directly to Sterling, and they will be together forever at the Hall after the induction ceremony on Aug. 2.

“I don’t think that has really set in yet,” Sterling Sharpe said. “It’s one of those situations where the closer it gets to having the same color jacket he has and standing in same place he stood and being able to have a conv about the journey to get there I think it will set in. But right now it hasn’t hit home yet.”

While the small class is a change from past years when at least seven people got inducted in each of the previous 12 classes, it isn’t unprecedented.

There were only four inductees in the 2005 class and there were 18 other years with three or four inductees since the first class of 17 was enshrined in 1963.

“You almost appreciate it more,” Jared Allen said. “Nothing comes easy. When I found out it was only four, it became more special. There’s a true emphasis on what it means to be a Hall of Famer. Clearly we fit that. For me, it was kind of a sigh of relief.”

New rules were instituted this year after a push by Hall of Famers to make the Hall more exclusive, and that led directly to the smaller class. The modern era candidates were voted from 15 down to seven in the final stage, instead of five in past years.

The 49 voters then got to vote for five of the seven with anyone reaching 80% or finishing in the top three getting into the Hall. In past years, the five finalists all got an up-or-down vote with all five getting in for the past 17 years.

The candidates from the seniors, coach and contributor categories were then all placed in a group with voters picking three. Candidates also needed 80% support with the top finisher automatically getting in even if he fell short.

Hall of Fame spokesman Rich Desrosiers said no decision was made on whether to keep this system in place for 2026 but said one year might be too soon to draw any conclusions.

Gates got elected in his second year of eligibility. He played only basketball in college before turning into one of the NFL’s top tight ends after being drafted by the Chargers.

“The opportunity I got speaks volumes of how (the Chargers) believed in me,” Gates said. “I’m happy it all paid off.”

He became an All-Pro in just his second season in 2004. He was an All-Pro again the next two seasons and went on to have a 16-year career with the Chargers. Gates finished with 955 catches for 11,841 yards and an NFL record for tight ends with 116 touchdown receptions. He ranks seventh all-time in TD catches.

Jared Allen was a four-time All-Pro who finished his career with 136 sacks, including a league-leading 22 in 2011 for Minnesota. He also led the league in sacks with 15 1/2 for Kansas City in 2007 and reached double digits in seven straight seasons. His final game was a Super Bowl loss for Carolina against Denver in the 2015 season.

Eric Allen starred for 14 seasons as a top cornerback in the NFL and never had to move to safety as he aged. Allen’s career spanned from the “Fog Bowl” game in 1988 when he starred for Philadelphia as a rookie to the “Tuck Rule” game in the 2001 season for Oakland in his final game.

Allen finished with 54 interceptions, including eight returned for touchdowns. He was a first-team All-Pro in 1989 and had two other seasons as a second-team selection.

He got in on his 19th year of eligibility.

“Rarely does life play out like you want it to,” Eric Allen said. “There’s always some curves and bends. But time always reveals the truth. … It took maybe time for people to see the complexity of my situation.”

Sharpe had a short but productive career for the Green Bay Packers from 1988-94. His best season came in 1992, when he became the sixth player to win the receiving triple crown, setting an NFL record with 108 catches for 1,461 yards and 13 touchdowns.

He broke his own record with 112 catches in 1993 and led the NFL with 18 touchdown receptions in his final season, 1994, before a neck injury cut his career short.

Sharpe was a three-time All-Pro and had 595 catches for 8,134 yards and 65 TDs. He trailed only Jerry Rice over his seven-year career in receptions and TD catches.

The Sharpe brothers will join three father-son tandems in the Hall: Tim and Wellington Mara; Art Rooney Sr. and Dan Rooney; and Ed and Steve Sabol.

The four other modern-era candidates who reached the final stage but fell short were Willie Anderson, Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri. Those four automatically advance to the final 15 for next year’s voting.

The other eight finalists who got cut earlier were Manning, Jahri Evans, Steve Smith Sr., Terrell Suggs, Fred Taylor, Reggie Wayne, Darren Woodson and Marshal Yanda.

The seniors candidates who fell short were Maxie Baughan and Jim Tyrer, with Mike Holmgren falling short as the coach and Ralph Hay as the contributor.