Don Coryell is one of 25 semifinalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2010, the Hall of Fame announced Saturday.

Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts has written numerous letters to Hall of Fame selectors, and Chargers Head Coach Norv Turner is one of numerous men who have stumped for Don Coryell’s enshrinement in Canton.

The innovative Coryell came a step closer to seeing that happen Saturday as the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced that the former Chargers head coach is one of 25 semifinalists for Canton’s 2010 class.

Coryell took over the Chargers midway through the 1978 season and held the position until 1986. In 1979, his first full season at the helm, he led the team to it’s first postseason appearance in 15 seasons. In his previous post with the St. Louis Cardinals, he produced a playoff berth in his second season, the franchise’s first since they’d relocated from Chicago in 1960.

More importantly, his offensive expertise left a handprint on the NFL game that is still visible every Sunday. The Chargers’ current offensive system is based on the one Coryell innovated when he was head coach at San Diego State in the 1960’s. Several NFL teams run a similar version of "Air Coryell."