Football Hall of Fame honors 3 assistant coaches

CANTON, Ohio (AP) — Influential special teams coach Mike Westhoff, former San Francisco 49ers offensive line coach Bobb McKittrick and longtime defensive coach Ted Cottrell will be honored with the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Awards of Excellence for the 2026 class. The Hall announced on Monday that the three assistants were picked as part of the fifth class for the Awards of Excellence who will be honored later this year. Westhoff spent 33 seasons in the NFL, spending the majority of his career in charge of special teams with the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets. McKittrick was the offensive line coach for 21 seasons with the 49ers, and was one of four coaches involved with all five of the franchise's five Super Bowl titles. Bill Walsh brought McKittrick to San Francisco in 1979 and he played a key role in establishing a dynasty. Cottrell worked for six franchises over 24 seasons and is viewed as an innovator of the 3-4 defense. He helped develop several Hall of Famers, including Bruce Smith in Buffalo. The Hall previously announced winners in three other categories with Scott Berchtold, Jim Gallagher and Lee Remmel picked as public relations directors; Red Batty, Mike Davidson and Jack Noel as equipment managers; and Edward "Abe" Abramoski, Kent Falb and Michael Ryan in the athletic trainers category. The Hall will still announce the winners in film and video directors category for the ceremony in June. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL