With pro football season leading up to Super Bowl LII on February 4, what better time than now to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Find your favorite gridiron heroes inside the football shaped rotunda, and learn interesting facts about their careers.
When arriving at the Hall of Fame, you are greeted by this wall-size picture of the Class of 2017.
The Hall of Fame is a tribute to those men who have made football America’s favorite sport. Many wonder why this Hall of Fame was located in Canton. Back in 1920 the American Professional Football Association, renamed National Football League, was founded in Canton.
Professional football hit Canton before the NFL was formed when the Canton Bulldogs and Massillon Tigers played at Myers Lake Park Grounds.
The Canton Bulldogs were one of the early pro football powers, even before the days of the NFL and had as their rivals the Massillon Tigers. Today, local high school teams are still called Canton Bulldogs and Massillon Tigers. And they remain rivals.
The Bulldogs won the championship of the NFL in 1922 and 1923. Jim Thrope played his first pro football with the Bulldogs, starting in 1915.
Ernie Nevers has the NFL’s longest standing record. Nevers was the ‘whole show’ in 1929, when he scored all 40 points for the Chicago Cardinals.
Sounds like there were plenty of reasons to build the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. It’s mission is to honor the heroes of the game, preserve its history, promote its values and celebrate excellence everywhere. Some call it the Sistine Chapel of Football.
A statue of the legendary Jim Thorpe stands at the center of the rotunda’s football history.
The circular football shaped rotunda shows progress of football from its beginning in the 1920s to 2010s. A statue of Jim Thorpe, “The Legend”, stands in the center. The walls are filled throughout with interesting football statistics.
310 bronze busts fill the Hall of Fame Gallery beginning with the Classes of 1963 and 1964.
One special spot is the Hall of Fame Gallery, which features a bronze bust of each of the members of the Hall of Fame starting with that first class in 1963. As of 2017, there are 310 members in this prestigious display. Only 1% of the people who play professional football make it to the Hall of Fame Gallery.
Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium hosts the annual Hall of Fame game as well as various high school and college football events.
A holographic theater presents A Game for Life. This presentation puts you in a Locker Room, which uses a hologram of Joe Namath to teach life lessons instead of the game of football. This high tech presentation teaches the importance of character, confidence and respect through advice given by football legends. As you leave through the game tunnel, a sign says, “YOUR Game of Life begins now”.
After the Game for Life presentation, this encouraging sign hangs in the game tunnel.
The Lamar Hunt Super Bowl Gallery is thus named because Hunt came up with the name “Super Bowl”. He also suggesting using Roman numerals to designate the years – a practice that has been maintained for 51 years. 2017 being Super Bowl LI.
From that first Super Bowl ring until last years, the diamonds have increased from 1 to 283, to signify the 28-3 deficit the Patriots overcame to win the Super Bowl.
In Super Bowl Theater, seating revolves to show you a progression of scenes from regular season to Super Bowl. The video shown was the 2017 game highlights between New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons, often called the greatest comeback in the history of the Super Bowl. It was also the first overtime in Super Bowl history, which gave the Patriots an exciting victory.
Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village plans to open for the 100th NFL season in 2019.
Expansion at the Hall of Fame location promises increased traffic in the Canton area. The new complex being developed at a cost of $700,000,000 is called Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village, where everything is tied together in a network called a “smart city”. It includes a four star hotel, an inside water park and amusement center, training facilities, and a retirement center just to name a few highlights.
Perhaps you’d enjoy visiting “The Most Inspiring Place on Earth”.
Hundreds of thousands of fans from across the globe trek to Canton annually to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was heartwarming to see many fathers sharing stories of football heroes with their sons. If you’re a football fan, this Hall of Fame is a place you would certainly enjoy visiting.
Then, get ready for the action of Super Bowl LII.
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Comments on: "Pro Football Hall of Fame: Legends Live Here" (4)
This country can certainly produce some outstanding athletes!!
And the Pro Football Hall of Fame displayed our outstanding football athletes quite well. My sons have always been big sports fans so it became natural for me to enjoy the games as well.
Maybe because my college didn’t have a football team, and my father and brother’s game was baseball, I never became a football fan. But I appreciate recognizing anyone who is outstanding in their field, so hurray for the Pro Football Hall of Fame!
Baseball is my favorite sport but I like to visit places that a wide variety of people might enjoy. I am lucky to find everything interesting.