Three former 49ers coaches among nine Hall of Fame semifinalists

Three former 49ers coaches are among nine semifinalists announced Thursday for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. George Seifert, a two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach of the 49ers, joins former 49ers assistant coaches Mike Shanahan and Mike Holmgren as semifinalists, the Hall of Fame announced. The other semifinalists are Bill Arnsparger, Tom Coughlin, Chuck Knox, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer and Clark Shaughnessy. The members of the blue-ribbon coach committee will discuss the semifinalists at length during a virtual meeting on Nov. 19 to select one finalist to be considered by the full selection committee for the Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Shanahan, Holmgren, Coughlin, Reeves, Schottenheimer and Shaughnessy were semifinalists a year ago when coaches and contributors competed in the same category. The Hall of Fame's Board of Directors voted earlier this year to separate those groups and send one finalist from each category through to the annual selection meeting to determine the new class. Seifert has five Super Bowl rings from his time with the 49ers. He was defensive backs coach in 1981 as he was responsible for getting three rookies — cornerbacks Ronnie Lott and Eric...