FOXBORO –– Tight end Ben Coates, center Jon Morris or running back Jim Nance will make up the 2008 New England Patriots’ Hall of Fame induction class of one, as the franchise announced this year’s finalists and opened online voting yesterday.

A selection committee of 23 media members, Patriots alumni and team officials whittled down the list of candidates to Coates, Morris and Nance. Coates was also a finalist last year but lost to receiver Stanley Morgan.

Now the final selection is in the hands of the team’s fans: though July 4, votes can be cast at www.patriots.com and the leading vote getter will become the 13th member of the franchise’s Hall of Fame. There is only one ballot per e-mail address allowed.

The induction ceremony is expected to take place at the Hall at Patriot Place, which is under construction a few yards from the field at Gillette Stadium.

“I think it’s a good cross-section (of nominees),” New England owner Robert Kraft said. “They are three great candidates. It will be interesting to see how the polls come out.”

Here is a bit on each man from the news release:

Ben Coates played for the Patriots for nine seasons, appearing in 142 games from 1991-99. His 50 total touchdowns rank second in team history, his 490 receptions rank third, and his 5,471 receiving yards place fourth. Coates was the Patriots’ leading receiver five times in a six-year span from 1993-98, and his 96 catches in 1994 set a team record at that time. Selected to five consecutive Pro Bowls from 1994-98, Coates was selected by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 1991 draft (124th overall) out of Livingstone College.

Jon Morris played for the Patriots for 11 seasons, appearing in 130 games from 1964-74. He earned seven consecutive American Football League All-Star appearances from 1964-70, and his seven all-star selections ranks second in Patriots history behind Pro Football Hall of Famer John Hannah, who had nine such selections.

Morris anchored an offensive line that opened holes for Nance to amass a team-record 45 touchdowns from 1965-71. He was selected by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 1964 American Football League Draft out of Holy Cross.

Jim Nance played for the Patriots for seven seasons, appearing in 94 games from 1965-71. His 45 rushing touchdowns are a franchise record, while his 5,323 rushing yards place second in team history. He was the American Football League’s most valuable player in 1966, leading the league with 1,458 yards, the highest single-season total in the AFL’s 10-year history and a mark that stood as a Patriots record for 20 years.

He was selected by the Patriots in the 19th round of the 1965 AFL draft out of Syracuse.

smanza@projo.com