Brown is in his 18th year of eligibility and joins other first-time semifinalists Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Frank Gore, Jason Witten and Philip Rivers, who are in their first year of eligibility, and former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams, who is in his fifth year of eligibility.
Brown was a first-round selection by the Lions in the 1985 NFL Draft and spent seven seasons anchoring an offensive line that blocked for Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders. Brown played 11 seasons in Detroit and 18 seasons total in his NFL career with Detroit, Arizona, Cleveland, New York (Giants) and Tampa Bay. He still holds the NFL record for most games played (263) and starts (251) by an offensive tackle.
Brown, now the color analyst for Detroit's radio broadcast, is one of six offensive linemen selected as semifinalists, along with Willie Anderson, Jahri Evans, Marshal Yanda, Richmond Webb and Steve Wisniewski.
The 26 semifinalists were selected from a group of 52 nominees. The 50-member Hall of Fame selection committee will cut the list to 15 finalists in December.