In Canton, Ohio lies some of the most historic and storied artefacts in football history. The unassuming Canton is located approximately 50 miles south of Cleveland and 100 miles west of Pittsburgh. Since opening in 1963, the Pro Football Hall of Fame (HOF) has enshrined the best-of-the-best when it comes to American Football - including players, owners, front-office staff and coaches. All of whom are thought to have made exceptional contributions to the NFL and the game itself. The HOF, as an organisation, inducts anywhere from four to nine new enshrinees annually - with 378 members in total, as of 2024.
The HOF’s mission is to ‘honour the heroes of the game, preserve its history, promote its values and celebrate excellence everywhere’.
Members receive a one-of-a-kind Haggar gold jacket upon their induction into the HOF, as well as a ‘ring of excellence’ set in 14k gold weighing 1 ¾ carats. The gold-standard inductees are chronicled within the walls of the HOF, alongside various stories and artefacts for its millions of recorded visitors to appreciate. Every year, a ceremony is held to induct the new members - they make speeches, reminisce on their time in the game, and give their thanks to all those who have helped them throughout their career. Fans flock to Canton in order to tour the HOF facility from each of the 50 states - as well as more than 70 foreign countries.
As such a sought-after museum, why is it not based in a more populated, more glamorous region? It’s located in Canton, Ohio because the NFL was originally founded there in 1920. The Canton Bulldogs were the team to beat in the days before the NFL, when the league was the American Professional Football Association. Canton locals, in the 1960’s, campaigned for their city to be the designated site for the HOF and construction began there one year later.
The 118,000-square foot facility was the first major sports museum to be accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It holds a collection of each Super Bowl ring - citing the details of each piece. It features a bust gallery of each HOF member - which are thought to last for 40,000 years - alongside a variety of memorabilia, including pieces such as Tom Brady’s original draft card, the game-balls used in Super Bowl I and the Lombardi trophy. Various artefacts and interactive kiosks allow guests to revel in the game’s history, present and future during their visit.
The HOF also features the Tom Benson HOF stadium. Every year, the birth of the NFL is celebrated with a game at the stadium between two NFL teams. All 32 current NFL teams have played in the ‘Hall of Fame Game’ at least once. The teams selected to play in the event are typically announced following that year’s HOF class being revealed during Super Bowl week. The NFL chooses teams who have notable ties to players entering the HOF that year. For example, the Texans and Bears were chosen this year due to the induction of the Texans’ Andre Johnson and the Bears’ Devin Hester. The game, of course, lacks the intensity of a regular season NFL game with stars rarely seeing the field, as the game is viewed as the kickoff to preseason. Preseason games give established players the chance to ease into the intensity of the game again; while fringe players and rookies have the opportunity to give it their all in a bid to make the final roster. The likelihood of those fringe players being inducted into the HOF someday is small but, in the NFL, you simply never know. For instance, a certain 199th overall pick named Tom Brady made his NFL debut in the 2000 Hall of Fame game.
