Celebrating NFL history at the Pro Football Hall of Fame

EDITOR’S NOTE: SCD writer Ross Forman continues his tour of major sports hall of fame museums with a stop in Canton, Ohio, home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is celebrating 60 years, having opened on Sept. 3, 1963 — and what a celebration this memorabilia-loaded shrine is.

The first class of inductees in 1963 included George Halas — the former player, coach and team owner, a true legend in the sport — and the Hall of Fame is located, naturally, on George Halas Drive. (Hearing my Waze GPS mispronounce his name was, at best, comical.)

The Pro Football Hall of Fame, with its iconic architecture, including concrete images of players on the building, is the dream of every player who has ever gripped the odd-sized, cowhide leather ball. Everyone wants a bronze bust sculpture and the famous gold jacket that comes with enshrinement.

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Football history is home to Canton, Ohio, a city of about 70,000 residents, located 60 miles south of Cleveland and 20 miles south of Akron in Northeast Ohio on the edge of state’s Amish Country.

But, why Canton?

That is, in fact, detailed for all visitors once past the entrance.

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On Sept. 17, 1920, a group met in the auto showroom of Hupmobile, owned by Ralph Hay, the owner of the Canton Bulldogs, one of 11 franchises represented at the meeting. At the conclusion of the meeting, the NFL was born, though it was initially named the American Professional Football Association. The league was renamed the National Football League in 1922. The Canton Bulldogs were the first two-time NFL champions.

The city of Canton lobbied the NFL to build a Hall of Fame there, reasoning that the league was formed there, and it housed one of the best early teams in the league’s history.

Welcome to Canton, home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where a 1920 Hupmobile greets visitors, too.

The original building had just two rooms, filling 19,000 square feet. Today, after multiple renovations, the Hall is close to 120,000 square feet.

This is, without question, a Super Bowl-worthy shrine with game-worn and game-used relics from every era. It also includes: a section for the NFL’s First Century; Madden Football; the Hall of Fame Café; the Black College Football Hall of Fame; the Ralph Wilson, Jr. Pro Football Research & Preservation Center; and The Nash Family Event & Conference Center. All that and more is just on the ground floor of this two-story sanctuary.

The upper level features: the must-visit Game For Life Theater; the Pro Football Today Gallery; the Lamar Hunt Super Bowl Gallery; the Super Bowl Theater; the James Allen Family Gold Jacket Lounge; the Hall of Fame Gallery; and more.

Plan for at least a few hours and make sure you have ample space on your phone for countless photos — or an actual camera, if still used.

I wanted to see what souvenirs were here to acknowledge my all-time favorite player — Walter Payton, the former Chicago Bears running back who played from 1975-87 and was inducted in 1993. Of course I had to pose by his Hall plaque, as well as his plaque in the Black College Football Hall of Fame for his pre-NFL career at Jackson State University.

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Other relics tied to Payton were displayed throughout the Hall, as well as the 29 other Bears who have been inducted, the most of any team. That total actually is 36, including players with a minor portion of their career played in Chicago.

There are a total of 371 members of the Hall of Fame. The Class of 2023 featured nine new members: cornerback/safety Ronde Barber, coach Don Coryell, linebacker Chuck Howley, defensive lineman Joe Klecko, cornerback Darrelle Revis, cornerback Ken Riley, offensive tackle Joe Thomas, linebacker Zach Thomas and linebacker/defensive end DeMarcus Ware.

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Classic football photos near the entrance set the tone for the Hall journey that features game-worn and game-used relics from … well, just about everything possible in the sport.

Here’s a look at some Hall of Fame offerings:

• Tony Dungy game-worn shoes and game-used whistle from Super Bowl XLI.

• Art Shell playbook from the 1994 season, as well as a game-used jersey.

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• Marion Motley game-worn cleats from 1946.

• Duke Slater game-worn jersey and shoulder pads from his Chicago Cardinals days, 1926-31.

• Doug Williams’ Grambling State goodies.

• Doug Williams’ Tampa Bay Buccaneers game-used helmet from 1979.

• Joe Perry game-worn jersey from 1963.

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• Binoculars used by Bill Nunn from 1968-2014.

• Jewelry from the Canton Bulldogs, 1922-23.

The tour truly starts in the NFL’s First Century section, which details the first indoor game and so much more. There are Jim Thorpe relics, including his letterman’s sweater from Carlisle Indian School; a George Preston Marshall hat; and a George Musso jersey.

Other noteworthy items spotted as the journey continues:

• A Red Grange helmet.

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• Bob Waterford’s Los Angeles Rams jersey.

• A program from the first Pro Bowl game.

• Bronko Nagurski’s 1943 Chicago Bears jersey.

• Johnny Unitas game-worn jersey.

• Jack Christiansen jacket.

• Y.A. Tittle helmet.

• Game-worn helmets from Mick Tingelhoff, Tommy Nobis and Terry Bradshaw.

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• Otto Graham’s 1955 Hickok Belt. The S. Rae Hickok Professional Athlete of the Year award was presented from 1950-1976 to the top pro athlete of the year in the U.S.

• Game-worn jerseys from Jim Brown, Chuck Bednarik, John Elway, Reggie White and Tim Brown.

• Cortez Kennedy pads.

•Shannon Sharpe-signed shoes.

• Pete Rozelle typewriter.

• Curtis Martin’s Bible, which he read before every game. His favorite Bible verse is in Deuteronomy 28, and the reason he wore uniform No. 28.

• Dermontti Dawson’s helmet.

• Marshall Faulk’s shoes.

• Kevin Greene’s gloves, signed and inscribed.

• Willie Roaf’s MVP Trophy.

The Hall offers a memorable Walk Through Decades exhibit spotlighting the dynasties from each era. Of course, the Pittsburgh Steelers were prominent in the 1970s, including Jack Ham and Lynn Swann jerseys.

The Chicago Bears from the 1980s were spotlighted with a Super Bowl Shuffle record and William Perry’s Super Bowl ring.

The second floor also features more on the NFL’s early years, with write-ups about the stars and souvenirs from an era long ago. There are team photos, such as the Rock Island Independents, the Oorang Indians and others.

Visitors can test their grip on a football against the hand of a legend, such as Jim Kelly, Warren Moon or Troy Aikman.

Also on-display:

• A Canton Bulldogs blanket, issued to Ben Jones in 1923.

• Don Shula shirt.

More game-worn jerseys: Bruce Smith, Jerry Rice, Paul Krause, Eric Dickerson (along with his goggles), and Drew Pearson.

• Immaculate Reception turf.

• Art Monk autographed football from the game in which he caught his 820th reception in 1992.

• Jerseys aplenty: Ray Nitschke, Jack Lambert, Tom Brady and Troy Aikman.

• 1992 Steve Young-signed jersey.

• Mike Carey’s referee uniform from Super Bowl XLII.

The pop culture section features bobbleheads, the popular Electronic Football Game, a Red Grange doll, and more.

Also spotted was the 1942 Bears pocket schedule and an autographed Cleveland Browns AAFC ball.

The 1972 Miami Dolphins were the first team to compile a perfect regular season in the post-merger NFL. They are the only team in NFL history to go undefeated and untied in the regular season and postseason. So of course, there’s a display case honoring these greats, including Garo Yepremian’s tie, Larry Csonka’s Super Bowl VII cleats and more.

The Hall of Fame Gallery is an emotion-packed showcase dedicated to the stars of the game.

The Locker Room features a 17-minute holographic movie, just as emotional.

The Hall also spotlights the sport outside the U.S., and women who have made an impact. There is, for instance, Ted Ginn’s jersey when he scored a touchdown in Europe. There is a jersey from Jen Welter, the first female coach in NFL history, as well as a Dallas Diamonds helmet from the Women’s Professional Football League (WPFL).

Patrick Mahomes already is in the Hall — his game-worn treasures, that is. There are pants and a towel from Super Bowl LVII. Nearby is Andy Reid’s outfit from that same game.

The Hall recognizes the NFL and the USFL, among other leagues. The football that Jeff Badet caught for the first TD of the 2023 XFL season is on display.

Other cool artifacts include:

• Jalen Hurts jersey and pants from the 2022 season.

• Donna Kelce jersey and shoes from Super Bowl LVII — signed by both her sons, Travis and Jason.

• Kirk Cousins-signed jersey.

• Super Bowl relics from all games, including Bart Starr’s jersey, Dave Robinson’s cleats and Don Maynard’s jersey, plus a lunch box given to the media years ago.

• Fred Dean and Marcus Allen jerseys.

• Gary Zimmerman’s Super Bowl-worn shoulder pads and shoes.

• A Ray Lewis uniform.

• A referee jersey, flag, hat and whistle from Sarah Thomas, the NFL’s first female official.

• Super Bowl souvenirs include jerseys from Joe Montana, Nick Foles, Tom Brady and Terry Bradshaw; plus Richard Dent’s helmet, Tom Landry’s renowned hat and Bill Belichick’s hoody pullover.

• Leroy Butler’s Defensive MVP trophy from the 1990 Japan Bowl.

• Visitors can battle it out on Madden.

• The USFL section includes Kyle Sloter’s jersey, J’Mar Smith’s jersey and Scooby Wright’s cleats and more. There also is a Jim Kelly helmet and jersey from his Houston Gamblers run.

The Black College Football Hall of Fame spotlights some of the greats of years past, including Donnie Shell, Jerry Rice, Charlie Joiner and Willie Jeffries, among others. When I saw Jimmie Giles honored, I immediately thought of Doug Plank, from a Monday Night Football hit on the talented receiver. Also honored are: Greg Coleman, Coy Bacon, Emerson Boozer, Harold Carmichael, Otis Taylor, Ken Burroughs, Ken Riley, Ernie Ladd, Richard Dent, Michael Strahan, Shannon Sharpe, Ken Houston, Steve McNair, Art Shell, Lem Barney, Mel Blount, Donald Driver and Harry Carson, among others.

Roscoe Nance is also an inductee into the Black College Football Hall of Fame. Nance covered the NBA, soccer and more for USA TODAY. But decades before that, the late Nance was Mississippi’s first African American sportswriter at a mainstream newspaper, The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson. He covered Jerry Rice and others in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and his BCFHOF induction was a first for someone who was never an athlete, coach or administrator in the league.

After touring the museum, the Hall of Fame Store is a must, though your credit card might not be too happy. There are shirts, sweatshirts, hats and so much more, including items related to all teams. There also are autographed items for sale, including white and brown paneled footballs of Jimbo Covert ($99.99), Troy Polamalu ($199.99) and Charles Woodson ($399.99). Signed mini helmets include Woodson ($399.99) and Larry Little ($79.99); and a class of 2022 signed full-size helmet starting at $499.99.

The store also sells bobbleheads, cards and books, plus nice, large replica signature wall signs ($99.99)

For more about the Pro Football Hall of Fame, go to profootballhof.com. 

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