Canton Ohio: The National Football League Hall of Fame

I've been a football fan all my life. I've watched game after game and have cheered through every good and bad season. I'm a lover of NFL football, and all things football. I was born and raised a Green Bay Packer fan. The Packers are a football team that is surrounded in right tradition and history. They notably won the first and second Super Bowls. Vince Lombardi was such an influence on the game, the Super Bowl trophy was named in his honor.

When I discovered that I had a trip scheduled for business to the Canton, Ohio area, I knew that I had to pay a visit to the mecca of football traditions, the National Football League Hall of Fame. Anyone that follows the game of football knows that legends of the game are honored in the Football Hall of Fame. It's an honor like non-other, and it means that you've played like a small select group of elite players that have come before you.

The hall is located next to a stadium that is used to play the Hall of Fame game each year. The Hall of Fame exhibits are right in traditions and history of the game of football. Cost for admission is $18 per adult, which is very reasonable considering that I could easily spend 2 hours throughout exhibits, and that was moving quickly. There were no signs posted about picture taking, so I took so many pictures while I walked through exhibit to exhibit.

There were so many great things about the Hall of Fame areas, but I will highlight my two favorites. The first one was the actual Hall of Fame. Each year and elite group of football players, that are retired from the NFL and have the respect and talent of NFL standards are elected into the hall. In the Hall of Fame, each player that is inducted has a mold of their heads in actual life size within the hall. The hall is illuminated with wonderful lights and each section of wall includes a different year of Hall of Famers. Each head is displayed along with their plaque of which NFL team they played for. Each head is sculpted by hand and is a ceramic bust of each hall of famer down to the centimeter of the nose. The hall was definitely a highlight and made me feel as though I was in a Holy Land of legends.

My second favorite item was a display dedicated to Super Bowl rings. Each ring was displayed from the beginning of Super Bowls in the 60's through 2009. Each Super Bowl ring displayed the team winner along with so many diamonds that sparkled in the light. Most of the recent rings are produced by Tiffany and Co. The Vince Lombardi Super Bowl trophy was displayed next to the ring. It sparkled in the light and was also produced by Tiffany and Co. I could only imagine the elation each champion felt when they were holding the silver trophy.

One of the biggest questions I had about the Football Hall of Fame was why it was located in Canton, Ohio. My question was quickly answered by reading the history of the stadium. The National Football League was born in Canton by Jim Thorpe who played for the Canton Bulldogs in 1915.

If you find yourself driving through Ohio, or in the area, the NFL Hall of Fame is definitely worth a stop. It's a very unique tribute to football greats, and is amazing to both football fans as well as non-football fans that can appreciate history. The Hall of Fame entices the senses and brings the sights and sounds of the game to each person that enters it's doors.

Sources:

Football Hall of Fame - http://www.profootballhof.com/