Pro Football Hall of Fame facts for kids
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| Established | September 7, 1963 |
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| Location | 2121 George Halas Dr. NW, Canton, Ohio, U.S. |
| Type | Professional sports hall of fame |
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is a special place in Canton, Ohio. It celebrates the best people in American football. This includes amazing players, coaches, team owners, and others. Most of these people made their biggest impact in the National Football League (NFL). The Hall of Fame opened its doors on September 7, 1963.
As of 2025, there are 382 members in the Hall of Fame. Each year, between four and nine new people are usually chosen. In 2020, a special group of 20 people, called the "Centennial Slate," was added. This was to celebrate the NFL's 100th birthday. The Chicago Bears team has the most members in the Hall of Fame.
Contents
History of the Hall of Fame
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The city of Canton, Ohio, worked hard to have the Hall of Fame built there. They had three main reasons. First, the NFL started in Canton on September 17, 1920. Back then, it was called the American Professional Football Association. Second, the Canton Bulldogs were a very successful team. They were the NFL's first team to win championships two years in a row, in 1922 and 1923. Third, the people of Canton raised almost $400,000 to help build the Hall of Fame.
Construction for the building began on August 11, 1962. The Hall of Fame officially opened to the public on September 7, 1963. The first building was small, with only two rooms. It had about 19,000 square feet of space.
Growing Bigger Over Time
The Hall of Fame has grown much larger over the years. In April 1970, they started their first expansion. This project cost $620,000 and finished on May 10, 1971. The building grew to 34,000 square feet. A new room was added, and a gift shop opened. More than 200,000 people visited that year. This was partly because professional football became more popular.
In November 1977, another expansion began. It cost $1,200,000 and was finished in November 1978. This project made the gift shop and research library bigger. It also doubled the size of the theater. The Hall of Fame was now 50,500 square feet. This was more than two and a half times its original size.
The building stayed mostly the same until July 1993. Then, another big expansion was announced, costing $9,200,000. This added a fifth room and was completed on October 1, 1995. The building reached 82,307 square feet. A major new feature was the GameDay Stadium. It showed NFL films on a huge 20 by 42-foot screen.
In 2013, the Hall of Fame finished its largest expansion and renovation. The total size of the Hall is now 118,000 square feet.
Hall of Fame Village
The NFL Hall of Fame Village is a huge project in Canton, Ohio. It is being built to make visiting the Pro Football Hall of Fame even better. Work on the Village started in 2016. The goal is to create a top destination for football fans and the community. It will have entertainment, shops, places to live, and hotels.
The Village is right next to the Hall of Fame. Its first part includes an interactive museum, a large sports complex, and a hotel. The main company behind this project is the Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company. It manages all the different parts of the Village.
Future plans for the Village include more sports fields and a sports medicine center. There will also be a bigger convention center and homes. A very important part of the project is the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. This stadium hosts the yearly Pro Football Hall of Fame Game and other sports events.
The NFL Hall of Fame Village also aims to be a center for sports technology and new ideas. It helps companies and groups in the sports world work together. This ongoing project is expected to bring lasting economic benefits to Canton.
Leaders of the Hall of Fame
- Dick McCann (1962 – 1967)
- Dick Gallagher (1968 – 1975)
- Pete Elliott (1979 – 1996)
- John Bankert (1996 – 2005)
- Steve Perry (2006 – 2014)
- David Baker (2014 – 2021)
- Jim Porter (2021 – present)
Who Gets Into the Hall of Fame?
The Hall of Fame honors players, coaches, and others who have made a big difference in professional football. Almost everyone in the Hall played in the NFL at some point. One exception is Billy Shaw, who played his whole career in the American Football League (AFL) before it joined with the NFL.
Some Hall of Famers also played in other leagues, like the Canadian Football League (CFL). However, to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, they must have made important contributions to the NFL, AFL, or All-America Football Conference (AAFC).
There are separate Halls of Fame for the CFL and Arena Football League. Only a few people are in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame and one of these other Halls. For example, quarterback Warren Moon is in both the Pro Football and Canadian Football Halls. Quarterback Kurt Warner is in both the Pro Football and Arena Football Halls.
The Chicago Bears have the most Hall of Famers among all NFL teams.
How Members Are Chosen
The Selection Committee
A group of 50 people, mostly media members, chooses who gets into the Hall of Fame. This group is called the Selection Committee. Each city with an NFL team sends one person from their local media to the committee. If a city has more than one team, it sends a representative for each team. There are also 15 other members chosen from different areas.
The Voting Process
To be considered, a player or coach must have been retired for at least five years. Other people, like team owners, can be voted in at any time. Fans can suggest anyone by writing to the Hall of Fame.
The Selection Committee narrows down the list of nominees. They vote three times by mail to get to 25 semi-finalists. In November, they choose 15 finalists. There are also special committees for "Seniors" (players who finished their careers more than 25 years ago) and "Contributors" (people who helped the game in ways other than playing or coaching). These committees add one or two more finalists each year. This makes a final list of 18 people for the main committee to consider.
The committee members are told to only think about what a person did in professional football. They should not consider anything else. The Selection Committee meets the day before the Super Bowl to choose the new class. To be elected, a person must get at least 80% of the votes. Each year, at least four, but no more than nine, people are chosen.
The 2020 Centennial Slate
In 2020, a special group of 15 new members was chosen. This was to celebrate the NFL's 100th anniversary. This group was called the Centennial Slate. Ten of these members were "Seniors." On January 11, 2020, Hall of Fame president David Baker surprised coach Bill Cowher on TV to tell him he was chosen. The next day, he did the same for coach Jimmy Johnson.
The other 13 members of the Centennial Slate were announced on January 15. They included players like Harold Carmichael and Alex Karras. Also chosen were contributors like Steve Sabol (co-founder of NFL Films) and former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue. These members were officially honored in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they are still considered part of the 2020 class.
The Enshrinement Ceremony
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The enshrinement ceremony is a big event each year. It kicks off the NFL season. All Hall of Fame members are invited to attend. When someone is inducted, they are not listed as a member of a specific team. Instead, all the teams they played for are listed equally.
Unlike the Baseball Hall of Fame, the busts of football inductees do not show them wearing a specific team's helmet or jersey. Each new inductee receives a special Gold Jacket. Past inductees almost always wear their Gold Jackets to the ceremonies.
The ceremony used to be held on the steps of the Hall of Fame building. Since 2002, it has been held at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. In 2022, the ceremony moved to noon ET.
Hall of Fame Game
The Hall of Fame Game is the first preseason game of the NFL season. It is played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. This game starts the "Enshrinement Week" celebration. Since 2017, the game has been held on Thursday night.
Black College Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame museum has a special exhibit. It honors the members of the Black College Football Hall of Fame. These two organizations started working together in 2016. They also created the Black College Football Hall of Fame Classic. This game is played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
Ralph Hay Pioneer Award
The Ralph Hay Pioneer Award is a special honor given by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It recognizes people who have made important and new contributions to professional football. The award is named after Ralph Hay. He was the owner of the Canton Bulldogs and helped start the NFL. This award is the highest honor given by the Hall of Fame, besides being inducted as a member.
Award Honorees
| Elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame |
| Year | Recipient | Notability | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Fred Gehrke | Designed the first football helmet logo | |
| 1975 | Arch Ward | Started the Chicago College All-Star Game | |
| 1986 | John Facenda | The voice of NFL Films | |
| 1992 | David Boss | Photographer and logo designer | |
| 2001 | George Toma | Groundskeeper at Arrowhead Stadium | |
| 2004 | City of Pottsville, Pennsylvania | Birthplace of the Pottsville Maroons team | |
| 2007 | Steve Sabol | Co-founder of NFL Films | Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020 |
| 2012 | Art McNally | Supervisor of officials for the NFL | Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022 |
| 2016 | Joe Browne | Long-time employee of the NFL | |
| 2022 | Marion Motley | Helped bring Black players back to professional football in 1946 | Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1968 |
| Woody Strode | |||
| Kenny Washington | |||
| Bill Willis | Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1977 |
See also
In Spanish: Salón de la Fama del Fútbol Americano Profesional para niños
- List of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
- College Football Hall of Fame
- Canadian Football Hall of Fame
- Arena Football Hall of Fame
- Indoor Football League Hall of Fame
