Mike Holmgren, the first coach to lead the Seahawks to the Super Bowl and a member of the team's Ring of Honor, advanced in the process for possible election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Tom Coughlin, Bill Belichick, Dan Reeves and Mike Shanahan join Holmgren in the Coach category for the Class of 2027.

Holmgren, who coached the Seahawks for 10 seasons from 1999-2008, was one of five coaches to advance from an initial field of 14 candidates.

Members of the Hall of Fame's coach subcommittee will meet virtually on November 17 to select one candidate to present to the full selection committee for consideration for the Hall of Fame's Class of 2027.

Holmgren, who led the Packers to a Super Bowl title and took the Seahawks to the Super Bowl, had a big hand in turning around two struggling franchises. Prior to Holmgren taking over in Green Bay in 1992, the Packers had just two playoff berths and five winning seasons over 24 years following their 1967 Super Bowl-winning season. In his seven seasons with Green Bay, Holmgren led the Packers to a winning record every season, six playoff appearances, three division titles and back-to-back Super Bowl appearances.

Holmgren then came to Seattle in 1999 in one of the first big moves made by new owner Paul Allen, and he again turned a franchise around, leading the Seahawks to six playoff berths, five division titles and the first NFC championship in team history. Prior to Holmgren's arrival, the Seahawks had four playoff appearances and one division title in the first 23 years of the franchise's existence.

In 17 seasons as a head coach, Holmgren compiled a 161-111 regular-season record, and won 13 more playoffs games against 11 losses, taking his teams to three Super Bowls while hoisting one Lombardi Trophy with Green Bay. In all, Holmgren took his teams to the playoffs 12 times, winning eight division championships.

In addition to the wins and playoff success, Holmgren also has a noteworthy coaching tree that includes multiple Super Bowl winners, including Chiefs coach Andy Reid, and he played a big role in the development of Hall of Fame quarterbacks Steve Young and Brett Favre, as well as Seahawks Ring of Honor member Matt Hasselbeck. Holmgren also helped Joe Montana enjoy some of the best seasons of his career, with Montana winning back-to-back MVP awards in 1989 and 1990 after Holmgren became San Francisco's offensive coordinator.

"Mike Holmgren is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, who belongs in the Hall of Fame," Montana wrote in a letter to the Pro Hall of Fame selection committee several years ago in 2019. "… Mike was like Bill Walsh in many ways, especially in the way he demanded perfection. He always pushed us to be perfect, and those demands and his attention to detail helped make me and our offense better. The fact that he played quarterback only enhanced our relationship. When you have someone who has coached and played that position, when you come off the field you know the guy that you're going to be talking to is going to understand what you're going through. His method of being able to communicate as a player as much as a coach really made a difference for me."

Favre, who also wrote a letter of support for his former coach, said, "I know without a doubt I would not be where I am today without him. The three MVPs I was fortunate to win are a direct result of his coaching and leadership. He taught me how to play the QB position. He was brilliant as an offensive play-caller; the best I've ever seen."

And Young, who benefited from working with Holmgren early in his playing career, wrote, "Mike Holmgren really reflects all these great quarterback whisperers that are around the NFL today. They all come from that Mike Holmgren tree and the way he approached and coached the position. For me personally, I was a project. I wasn't easy to handle, and I had a lot of ways to do it. The fact that he was so successful with so many others says everything. I could see success with Joe and myself, but then he went to Brett, who is his own unique guy. It shows his athleticism as a coach that there's not one kind of quarterback that he can lead. I needed somebody who treated me as unique, who wasn't going to just lay his coaching principals on top of me, like a heavy blanket. He individualized his approach and I really appreciated that."