PHOENIX – Late linebacker Junior Seau, offensive guard Will Shields, defensive end Charles Haley, wide receiver Tim Brown and running back Jerome Bettis will be inducted as the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2015.

They will be joined by contributors Ron Wolf and Bill Polian and seniors committee candidate Mick Tingelhoff.

Seau was the only first-time eligible finalist voted in by the Hall of Fame selection committee, which met Saturday in downtown Phoenix before the official results were released during the “NFL Honors” awards show.

Not since 2007 has one of the final five finalists not been inducted. Former commissioner Paul Tagliabue was a finalist that year.

Chosen to 12 consecutive Pro Bowls, Seau is second in NFL history among linebackers with 268 games played. Energetic and explosive, he played for the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. He retired in 2006, but signed with the Patriots mere days later and played 38 games in four seasons in Foxborough. Seau committed suicide in 2012.

“I can’t imagine having a Professional Football Hall of Fame without Junior Seau in it,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said this week.

Bettis, who won a Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers and played for the St. Louis Rams, was a five-time finalist in his fifth year of eligibility, and several Steelers greats – Dermontti Dawson (seven years), Lynn Swann (14 years) and John Stallworth (10 years) – endured longer waits. Linebacker Kevin Greene was not selected in 2015, his 11th year of eligibility.

Bettis retired as the NFL’s fifth-best all-time rusher with 13,662 yards. He is currently sixth on the all-time list but had been the only top-10 rusher eligible for the Hall of Fame not inducted.

Bettis and Brown played at Notre Dame, where Brown won the Heisman Trophy.

The final 10 the committee voted on to narrow down a “Final Five” included former NFL defensive back and head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts Tony Dungy (second year eligible), former Steelers linebacker Kevin Greene (11th year eligible), former Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison (second), former Rams offensive tackle Orlando Pace (first) and former Rams and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner (first).

Brown’s long wait ended Friday night.

The 1988 first-round pick played until 2004 and was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection, playing both wide receiver and punt returner and amassing 19,683 yards from scrimmage with 1,094 receptions and 105 touchdowns. Brown was caught in a logjam of wide receivers and was in his sixth consecutive year as a finalist, as was Haley. Brown played with the Oakland Raiders until 2003 and spent one season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Haley is the only NFL player with five Super Bowl victories – three with the San Francisco 49ers and two with the Dallas Cowboys. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year (1990, 1994) also has the Super Bowl career record with 4.5 sacks and finished his career with 100.5 total sacks.

Shields, regarded by some as one of the best offensive guards to ever play in the NFL, starred for the Chiefs with 12 Pro Bowls in 14 seasons. He was a four-time finalist.

The 46-person committee began its annual meeting at 7 a.m. Mountain time with 18 total finalists and discussed the contributor and senior candidates first.

The initial reduction is to 10, and then five. Those five finalists are voted on individually and needed at least 80 percent positive votes.

Three finalists were chosen by special subcommittees and were discussed first and their fate will be determined by a simple yes or no vote. They included two contributors — Wolf and Polian — and Tingelhoff (Vikings). Selection to the Hall of Fame for these committee choices also required 80 percent “yes” votes.

Wolf broke into the NFL in 1963 with the Raiders and is best known for his run with the Packers from 1991-2001 as general manager. Polian built several teams into consistent winners, including the Buffalo Bills (1984-92), Carolina Panthers (1995-97) and Indianapolis Colts (1998-2011). Two of his franchise cornerstones – Jim Kelly of the Bills and Peyton Manning of the Colts – were in town to witness the honor.

Tingelhoff was first eligible for the Hall of Fame 32 years ago and was a first-time finalist. He played center for the Minnesota Vikings from 1962-78, starting every game he played in his career, including all four Vikings Super Bowl appearances.

–Jerome Bettis, Running Back – 1993-95 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 1996-2005 Pittsburgh Steelers

5th time finalist: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

College: Notre Dame

Drafted: 1st round (10th overall) of 1993 draft by Los Angeles Rams

Seasons: 13

Games: 192

All-Pro: 2

Pro Bowls: 6

Career Stats: 3,479 carries for 13,662 yards, 91 touchdowns; 200 receptions for 1,449 yards, 3 touchdowns.

Notable: At the time of his retirement, Bettis ranked fifth in rushing yards.

–Tim Brown, Wide Receiver/Kick Returner/Punt Returner – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

6th time finalist: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

College: Notre Dame

Drafted: 1st round (6th overall) of 1988 draft by Los Angeles Raiders

Seasons: 17

Games: 255

All-Pro: 2

Pro Bowls: 9

Career Stats: 1,094 receptions for 14,934 yards and 100 touchdowns.

Notable: Brown had 80 or more receptions in nine seasons during a 10-year span. He also was a lethal return man; his 19,682 all-purpose yards still ranks fifth all time.

–Charles Haley, Defensive End/Linebacker – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys

6th time finalist: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

College: James Madison

Drafted: 4th round (96th overall) of 1986 draft by San Francisco 49ers

Seasons: 12

Games: 169

All-Pro: 2

Pro Bowls: 5

Career Stats: Had 100 1/2 sacks, one safety and one fumble recovery for a touchdown.

Notable: Haley holds the NFL record for most Super Bowl victories by a player. He won three with the Cowboys (XXVII, XVIII, XXX) and two with San Francisco (XXIII, XXIV).

–Junior Seau, Linebacker – 1990-2002 San Diego Chargers, 2003-05 Miami Dolphins, 2006-09 New England Patriots

First time eligible.

College: USC

Drafted: 1st round (5th overall), 1990 by San Diego Chargers

Seasons: 20

Games: 268

All-Pro: 10

Pro Bowls: 12

Career statistics: 18 interceptions, returned 238 yards.

Notable: Named to NFL’s 1990s All-Decade team. Committed suicide in 2012 with a shot to his chest, enabling his brain to be studied by the National Institute of Health, which concluded Seau suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a type of brain damage since found in other deceased NFL players and considered a major part in the league’s current emphasis on safety.

–Will Shields, Guard – 1993-2006 Kansas City Chiefs

4th time finalist: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

College: Nebraska

Drafted: 3rd round (74th player overall) of 1993 draft by Kansas City Chiefs.

Seasons: 14

Games: 224

All-Pro: 3

Pro Bowls: 12

Notable: Shields was selected for the NFL’s All-Decade Team in the 2000s.

Senior candidate

–Mick Tingelhoff, Center – 1962-1978 Minnesota Vikings

1st time finalist, 32nd year of eligibility

College: Nebraska

Undrafted, 1962, signed as rookie free agent with Minnesota

Seasons: 17

Games: 240

All Pro: 5

Pro Bowls: 6

Notable: Tingelhoff started every game he played in his career, and played in all four Vikings Super Bowl appearances.