History of the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Facts and History
Hall of Fame opened on Sept. 7, 1963

 

Hall of Fame through the years Click on image to view photo gallery In 2008, the Pro Football Hall of Fame celebrated its forty-fifth year of excellence in honoring the legends and preserving the history of professional football.  Throughout the 45th anniversary year, the Hall of fame conducted special events celebrating its storied past while promoting the organization’s exciting future. Since opening in 1963, the Pro Football Hall of Fame has grown in both size and stature.  The building was expanded in 1971, 1978 and 1995; and completed major exhibit gallery renovation sin 2003 and 2008.  Together, these improvements have transformed the original 19,000 square-foot Hall of Fame museum into an exciting 83,000 square-foot internationally recognized institution and travel destination.    Today, the Hall of Fame stands as a shining tribute to the men who have made professional football America’s most popular sport.

 

Location:
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is located in Canton, Ohio, in the northwest corner of the city, just off Interstate Highway 77. Highway exits for both northbound and southbound traffic are clearly marked on the freeway. Literally hundreds of other signs on lesser roads in the Canton and Stark County area guide the visitor directly to the Hall of Fame site. Canton is located approximately 40 minutes south of the Ohio Turnpike (I-80) and about one hour north of Interstate 70, another major east-west artery. I-77 connects directly to both of these major routes. Canton is also located on U.S. Highways 30 and 62.

Canton lies approximately 50 miles south of Cleveland, 100 miles west of Pittsburgh, 120 miles northeast of Columbus and around 225 miles from such centers as Detroit, Cincinnati, and Buffalo.

Why Canton for the Hall of Fame Site?
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is located in Canton, Ohio, for three primary reasons; (1) the American Professional Football Association, later renamed the National Football League, was founded in Canton on September 17, 1920. (2) the Canton bulldogs were an early-day pro football power, even before the days of the NFL. They were also the first two-time champion of the NFL in 1922 and 1923. The great Jim Thorpe, the first big-name athlete to play pro football, played his first pro football with the Bulldogs, starting in 1915. (3) Canton citizens early in the 1960's launched a determined and well-organized campaign to earn the site designation for their city.

Timeline

Summer, 1962 Spurred by the Canton Repository's editorial campaign, city leaders had won site designation from the National Football League and had launched a fund-raising campaign that would net $378,026. On August 11, ground-breaking ceremonies launched the original construction phase. September 7, 1963 The sparkling and modern 19,000-square-foot, two-building Pro Football Hall of Fame was officially opened. Inducted that day was the Hall's charter class of 17 enshrinees. April 15, 1970 Ground-breaking rites were observed as the Hall launched an ambitious $620,000 expansion. May 10, 1971 The Pro Football Hall of Fame became a three building, 34,000-square-foot complex featuring greatly increased space for the display areas, movie theater, gift shop and research library. Visitor attendance reached 200,000 annually for the first time in 1971. November 14, 1977 Ground was broken for the $1,200,000 second expansion. November 20, 1978 The Hall became a four building, 50,500 square-foot complex with exciting new display areas, a twice-as-big theater and greatly-enlarged gift shop and research library facilities. July, 1993 The Hall's third expansion, and $9.2 million project that would add a fifth building and increase the Hall's size by 64% to 82,307 square feet, is announced. The first phase of the project was launched in January, 1994. July 7, 1994 Formal ground-breaking took place for the second-and largest-phase of the expansion. October 1, 1995 The Hall's most ambitious expansion was completed. New displays and the long-awaited GameDay Stadium showing the "100-Yard Universe", an NFL Films production, were the final pieces in the expansion puzzle. July 2003 Hall of Fame gallery opened following a $1.677 million dollar renovation. May 2008 A $3.6 million renovation project results in two new state-of-the-art galleries – Moments, Memories & Mementos and Pro Football Today. July 2008 FieldTurf Recreational Field is added to the Hall of Fame campus.

Pertinent Hall of Fame Historical Background:
The Pro Football Hall of Fame concept, as far as Canton was concerned, first was placed before the public by the Canton Repository on December 6, 1959. That newspaper challenged its readers with the headline: "PRO FOOTBALL NEEDS A HALL OF FAME AND LOGICAL SITE IS HERE."

Canton civic groups quickly took up the challenge and, by January 25, 1961, William E. Umstattd of the Timken Company was in a position, as the selected representative of his city, to make a formal bid to the National Football League for acceptance of Canton as the site for a pro football hall of fame. Three months later, Canton was granted this official site approval.

Wooded parkland was donated from the city and a civic fund-raising campaign had, by February 8, 1962, acquired pledges totaling $378,026. Ground-breaking for the original construction was held on August 11, 1962, and on September 7, 1963, the building was first opened to the public.

The original two-building complex, containing 19,000 square feet of interior space, was almost doubled in size when a $620,000 expansion project was completed in May, 1971. The expanded three-building complex contained 34,000 square feet of interior space. A second expansion costing $1.2 million and adding a fourth building was complete in November, 1978, and increased the Hall's size to 51,000 square feet. A third expansion project, a $9.2 million program that increased the Hall's size to approximately 83,000 square feet, was completed in October, 1995.

Dick McCann, long-time general manager of the Washington Redskins, was named the Hall's first director on April 4, 1962. Mr. McCann died in November, 1967, and in April 1968, Dick Gallagher, a long-time pro football coach, scout, and general manager, was named the new director. He served until his retirement on December 31, 1975. In February, 1979, Pete Elliott, an assistant coach of the St. Louis Cardinals who had had an extensive college playing and coaching career, was named the Hall's third director. Elliott retired on October 31, 1996. John Bankert, a long-time vice-president of the Hall of Fame, became the museum’s fourth director on November 1, 1996 and was named President in 2003. He served in that role through his retirement on December 31, 2005.

On April 24, 2006, Steve Perry became the Pro Football Hall of Fame's fifth President/Executive Director. He has had an extensive career in management of large private sector and public sector organizations. Most recently, he served in the Federal government as the Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) in Washington, D.C. Perry was a former member of the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors (1993-2001) and has been an active volunteer in numerous professional and community organizations.

Attendance at the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
More than eight million fans have visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame since its opening in September, 1963. The attendance pace, slow at first, quickened dramatically in the early 1970's. Daily checks of the guest register show that, in a year's time, visitors come from every state in the United States and up to 60 to 70 foreign nations. Year-by-year attendance is as follows:

Mission Statement
The Mission of the Pro Football Hall of Fame is:
To honor, preserve, educate and promote. . .

 To honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to professional football
To preserve professional football’s historic documents and artifacts
To educate the public regarding the origin, development and growth of professional football as an important part of American culture
To promote the positive values of the sport


The Pro Football Hall of Fame Today Reaches Outside of Canton
Today, the Hall of Fame is now available outside of Canton through a variety of initiatives from traveling exhibits, artifacts on loan, youth and educational outreach programs, and a dynamic website. In its day-to-day operation, the Pro Football Hall of Fame works very closely with all facets of the pro football family - the National Football League, the 32 NFL clubs, and other entities. The cooperative efforts of all of these organizations have contributed greatly to the overall success of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In turn, the Hall strives to serve as the best possible historical showplace and repository for the sport of pro football. The Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational institution that focuses on education, promoting, preserving, and honoring the great individuals and moments that have shaped the sport’s history.

Hours of Operation
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is open every day of the year except for Christmas. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, it is open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The hours for the remainder of the year are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is $18.00 for adults, $12.00 for children 14 and under. Senior citizens over 62 are admitted for $15.00. Information on group rates and any other matters may be obtained by calling (330) 456-8207. | Visitor Information

Inside the Hall
The Hall represents its sport in a great many colorful and entertaining ways. Visitors entering the museum are greeted by a seven-foot bronze statue of Jim Thorpe, considered a legend of pro football dating back to his days with the Canton Bulldogs in the early 1900s.

After ascending a ramp to the second floor, guests learn about the first century of pro football in the exhibition rotunda. Memorabilia, video, and audio bring to life the development of the game from 1892 to 1992. The next stop is the Teams of the NFL Exhibition Area which pays tribute to the current 32 clubs.

Perhaps the most emotional stop during a tour of the museum is the Hall of Fame Gallery which houses the bronze bust of each enshrinee. Completion of the renovated gallery occurred in 2003 and now offers visitors the opportunity to learn about each member of the Hall through touch screen kiosks that include bios, photos, and video on the inductees.

The Pro Football Adventure Room examines the many other pro leagues that have challenged the NFL since its founding in 1920.

The new Moments, Memories & Mementos Gallery focuses on the achievements made by the members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. High-tech video, audio and lighting help bring the treasued artifacts to life in dynamic fashion. The all-new Pro Football Today Gallery examines contemporary themes in the NFL. This area is filled with mementos from recent history-making performances. Also new to this gallery is an area devoted to a changing travling exhibit.

The Super Bowl Room recaps the 42 Super Bowls played to date, exhibits the Super Bowl rings, and displays several pieces of memorabilia from the game as well as the entertainment that has helped shape the game into a global event.

GameDay Stadium, a turntable theater featuring a 20’x42’ Cinemascope screen was a first in sports when built as part of the Hall’s massive expansion in 1995.

As visitors leave the exhibit level of the Hall and return to the ground floor, they enter into an interactive area that includes a Teletrivia game, Call-the-Play-Theater, a throwing cage, an all-new Madden EA Sports video game display and other exhibits such as a display devoted to officiating. A recent addition to this area is a display that chronicles the 20-year history of the Arena Football League.

Museum Store
The Hall of Fame’s museum store offers a wide variety of merchandise that includes special Hall of Fame products in addition to merchandise for all 32 NFL teams. The Hall’s store is also available online at:www.Profootballhof.com/store.

Archives & Information Center
The Hall’s Archives and Information Center (AIC) houses the world’s most comprehensive collection on professional football. The AIC, open to the public by appointment only, is located on the lower level of the fifth building.

Hall of Fame Weekend
The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s enshrinement celebration is the largest of its kind. Each summer, the community celebrates the enshrinement and the annual NFL preseason game with a 10-day festival. The local Chamber of Commerce Festival Office stages 15 public events ranging from balloon races, ribs burnoff, to the Enshrinees Dinner where each member of the new class receives his gold Hall of Fame jacket.

The central focus of the entire Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival celebration is the Enshrinement Ceremony where each newly elected football legend takes center stage and shares with the audience his innermost emotions and career experiences in a heartfelt and emotional acceptance speech. Thousands attend and millions more watch and listen as the nationally televised event unfolds. The annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony is not only a moving and inspirational salute to the game’s all-time great players, coaches and contributors; it is also one of the most spectacular events in all of sports.

The annual enshrinement ceremony and the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game take place at Fawcett Stadium, located directly across the street from the Hall. The Class of 2009 - Bob Hayes, Randall McDaniel, Bruce Smith, Derrick Thomas, Ralph Wilson, Jr., and Rod Woodson – will be formally inducted during the ceremony held on Saturday August 8th. The event will be nationally televised live by NFL Network and ESPN.

Game - On Sunday night, August 9, the NFL’s preseason kicks off from Canton's Fawcett Stadium as the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans battle in teh preseason classic. | More on the NFL Hall of Fame Game Series

Other Related Topics about the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Selection Process - a 44-member Board of Selectors, a committee largely made up of sports writers, is responsible for electing new members to the Hall of Fame each year. | Details about the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Selection Process

Calendar of Special Events - the Hall of Fame holds a variety of special events in Canton and around the country. Here is the latest calendar>>