FAYETTEVILLE — Former Arkansas safety Steve Atwater is one step closer to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Atwater was named one of 15 finalists for the Canton, Ohio-based Hall of Fame on Thursday. The 2019 class of inductees will be announced Feb. 2 in Atlanta during week-long festivities leading up to the Super Bowl.
It is the second time Atwater has been a finalist for the Hall. He also was a finalist in 2016 and has been a semifinalist the past eight years.
Finalists must receive at least 80 percent of the votes from the Hall of Fame's 48-member selection committee to be inducted.