Four new names were added to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s all-time roster during the NFL Honours ceremonies on Thursday night as defensive back Eric Allen, defensive end Jared Allen (no relation), tight end Antonio Gates and wide receiver Sterling Sharpe were voted into footballing immortality.

The four-man class is the smallest since 2005, but inducting a quartet is not as rare as it may seem as there have been 18 previous occasions when either three or four has comprised a class since the first four-person class was chosen in 1970.

The annual selection meeting capped a lengthy selection process, with the final list whittled down from 20 finalists, and a far bigger number of eligible names before that. The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Selection Committee ran the rule over the biggest group, with three smaller committees narrowing down the contenders in the separate coach, contributor and seniors categories.

The list of 15 finalists was cut to 10 and then to seven during the final selection meeting, before a final vote produced the quartet who will don the famed yellow jackets for the first time this summer. A maximum of five and minimum of three individuals could have been elected from the final seven, but each required 80 percent approval from the selectors, who could cast a ballot for five of the names on their list. By reaching the final seven but not getting elected Willie Anderson, Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri will advance straight to the final 15 candidates for the Class of 2026 according to the Hall of Fame’s bylaws. The remaining finalists, who will have to endure the protracted funnelling process next time around, included Jahri Evans, Eli Manning, Steve Smith Sr, Terrell Suggs, Fred Taylor, Reggie Wayne, Darren Woodson and Marshal Yanda, some of whom have featured at this stage for many seasons.

The Hall of Fame’s membership, including the newly elected class, now stands at 382, with Sterling Sharpe joining brother Shannon as the first brothers elected to the pantheon of great. They join three father-son combinations — Tim and Wellington Mara, Art Rooney Sr and Dan Rooney, and Ed and Steve Sabol — amongst an even more elite group within the wall of Canton.

Sharpe learned of his election from his brother, while Eric and Jared Allen were informed by former team-mates, Randall McDaniel and Steve Hutchinson respectively, and Gates by fellow Hall member and former Chargers colleague LaDanian Tomlinson.

The Class of 2025 will be enshrined at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton on Saturday 2^nd August.