Pro Football Hall of Fame Captures the Game’s Great Moments and Athletes – Canton, Ohio
What is It - The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio has grown and prospered since its inception in 1963. During the same period the sport has become one of the most dominant forces in entertainment and television in the United States. The National Football League has built a brand that captures the attention of avid fans and the public from draft day to the Super Bowl each year. The Pro Football Hall of Fame is a fitting tribute to the sport. NFL allows videos from the exciting NFL Film Library to be displayed there too.
The stated purposes of the Pro Football Hall of Fame are to honor the heroes of the game, preserve its history, promote its values, and celebrate excellence together. One way in which it pursues these goals is to bring the sport to life for visitors right at the museum throughout the year. The Hall of Fame Village includes a 23,000-seat stadium next door where the NFL plays the opening exhibition game for its preseason. The stadium hosts other national contests like the Black College Football Classic and USFL postseason games along with home games for colleges and high schools in the area. There is also a well-manicured fifty-yard-long football field adjacent to the parking lot for young people to run around in and feel the thrill of catching a long one.
Principal Exhibits
There is 51,000 square feet of space at the Hall of Fame which are used for displays, galleries, meetings other functions. Some key things to see and do there are the following:
Game for Life Theater - Joe Namath may seem out of place on TV these days advertising for a Social Security benefits company, but he is still looking good in Canton in his Hall of Fame yellow jacket and serving as the host of the Game of Life Theater. The theater is designed to resemble a football locker room and Joe appears in front of the seated audience by hologram to talk about the preparation, teamwork, and commitment required to succeed on the field and in life. The presentation highlights by video the unique skills and achievements of legendary Hall of Famers such as Vince Lombardi, George Halas, Jim Kelly, Steve Largent, Alan Page, Jim Brown, and Warren Moon.
Super Bowl Theater and Gallery– The Super Bowl Theater presents a high action, fast paced, summary of the preceding NFL season. The film highlights the surprising teams that exceeded expectations to make the playoffs and ends with a recap of the Super Bowl. The NFL allows videos from the exciting NFL Film Library to be played at the Hall of Fame so recordings from the sidelines and on the field among key participants enhance the experience. Near the theater are other exhibits showing each of the 56 Super Bowls played since 1967 along with a Lombardi NFL championship trophy and championship rings.
First Century Gallery – The First Century gallery is a series of exhibits presented inside a two-story, football shaped structure. The artifacts, pictures, and memorabilia there cover everything from the early equipment used by players on college and football clubs in the 19th century to uniforms of popular teams to pictures and films of the special moments that defined the sport. Special attention is paid to the powerhouse dynasties that dominated the sport at various times such as the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, and New England Patriots. The important contributions made by early athletes such as Jim Thorpe are also profiled.
Hall of Fame Gallery – This gallery contains bronzed busts of each of the 354 individuals who have been inducted into the hall of fame. These include players, coaches, franchise owners, officials, and front office personnel who contributed to the game. You can learn about your favorite stars or about people you may not know by looking up their backgrounds on a series of touch screens. The screens present videos, pictures, and biographical information on each inductee. New inductees for the current year are profiled in a special exhibit once the annual selections are announced.
Team Shop – Any football fan can shop until they drop at the Hall of Fame store. Regardless of who you root for, there are players’ jerseys, shirts, hats, fleeces, beer mugs, helmets, bobblehead dolls, mini footballs, banners, plaques, signed pictures, football cards, and everything else you can think of for sale here.
Interesting Facts - Canton is a fitting place for the Football Hall of Fame since the predecessor to the NFL, the American Professional Football Association, was founded there in 1920, the Canton Bulldogs were one of the most popular and successful teams during the early days of professional football, and the city mounted a petition drive which convinced the NFL to designate the site as the official location in 1961.
When to Go – The Museum is open seven days a week year-round except on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with extended hours to 8 pm during the summer. Canton can be cold with snow and freezing temperatures from December to February and but temperatures from April to November are comfortable for visiting the facility.
How to Get Here – Canton is located about an hour south of Cleveland and slightly less than 2 hours west of Pittsburgh and 2 hours northeast of Columbus. The museum is directly adjacent to Interstate 77. United, Frontier, American Airlines, Southwest and Delta have direct flights to Cleveland from various cities around the country.
Cost - Admission to the Pro Football Hall of Fame is $33 for adults, $29 for seniors, $26 for children and free for children under six. Parking is $10 per vehicle.