Former Bears defensive end Ed Sprinkle has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2020.

Sprinkle will be among 10 senior candidates enshrined in Canton as part of a special 20-member centennial class commemorating the NFL's 100th season.

The 10 senior inductees were revealed early Wednesday on "Good Morning Football" on NFL Network. The senior candidates—all of whom last played in the NFL more than 25 years ago—were chosen from among 20 finalists by a special 25-member Blue Ribbon Panel last week at the Hall of Fame.

Sprinkle played his entire 12-year NFL career with the Bears from 1944-55, helping the Monsters of the Midway win the league championship in 1946. He was voted to four Pro Bowls and was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1940s.

A fierce competitor, Sprinkle was once described by George Halas as "the greatest pass rusher I've ever seen."

Sprinkle, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 90, was labeled "the meanest man in football" in a 1950 article in Collier's Weekly magazine. But the Bears defensive end always stressed that he played within the rules.

Shortly before Sprinkle was announced, it was revealed that former Bears left tackle Jimbo Covert also will be among the 10 senior candidates enshrined as part of the Class of 2020. Their inclusion will give the Bears 30 Hall of Famers, most of any NFL team.

In addition to the 10 senior candidates, the Hall of Fame's Class of 2020 will include five modern-era candidates, three contributors and two coaches. Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson were revealed as the two coaches last weekend.

The entire 20-person Class of 2020 will be in Canton for Enshrinement Week in August. The modern-era players, contributors and coaches will be inducted on Saturday, Aug. 8, while the 10 seniors will be enshrined during the Hall of Fame's Centennial Celebration Sept. 16-19.