Hitting the Hall!

      It had been quite a few years since I had visited the inside of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and it had certainly been before the constant renovations that have been going on for years (And still are) on the building, the neighboring Fawcett Stadium, and the surrounding area.

So when I had the opportunity to make the trip for work reasons, I didn't mind being able to make the tour for the first time in a while.

For the record, I was there for work but due to privacy concerns, I will be writing about the trip as if I was alone from here out.

The first time that I visited the Pro Football Hall was in 1976 and at the age of eight, it was about the grandest place that I had ever seen.

Keep in mind, I didn't visit Cooperstown until 2013 and I've never been to the basketball hall in Springfield, Connecticut at all, so that first visit was as big as it could get to me!

I know the HOF has been through three full renovations since then on the main building and that's not even adding the full upgrade to the entire facility that continues to roll on today.

That first visit was as close to the original Hall as I could see, as at that time only one addition had been tacked onto the original building when in 1970 the building moved from two "rooms" to three.

The next renovation would be in 1978 and that would be the version of the building that I would take Ryan for his first trip in Canton before the next overhaul in the early 90s.

Now, the building only shows signs of what it once looked like on the far end where the original Rotunda still remains the same on the exterior although it has been renovated on the interior and the remainder of the building is a dazzling modern blend of chrome and steel.

The Hall currently has a beautiful walk up to the entrance that reminds one more of a government building in Washington than one devoted to the history of professional football.

Once inside, there are plenty of docents around to answer questions or move around the facility, which is extremely helpful for the casual fan or the non-fan that is along for the ride with someone that cares more.

The rotunda that once was the centerpiece of the building is still intact on the outside but the inside has been modernized and unless you are paying attention to the different levels as you look around, you would almost never realize it!

The rest of the facility has been modernized and is far flashier with a massive gift shop that in the present-day may not have been a big deal but made me think of what a big deal it was on my first two trips to the hall in a time that you were mostly relegated to items from your local team and whoever was dominant at the time, I remember that first time being thrilled to see so many times from all the teams!

I remember being almost in a daze as I was so thrilled to be able to find any item from the team that I wanted (at that time, Denver) that I was barely able to keep things together!

Being that I had seen most of the museum on my last visit a few years back, I really only wanted to see one item/display in particular and as we wound down a video presentation, I felt like most of the building had been covered and I hadn't found the one thing I wanted to see.

Former Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars general manager Carl Peterson donated the USFL Championship Trophy to the Hall in 2018 (Which shows you the last time I walked through the building other than a gift shop stop) after holding possession of the trophy since 1985 when the Baltimore Stars won the trophy over the Oakland Invaders 28-24 in the league's final game.

The trophy was the one thing I wanted to see most and I was concerned that perhaps it was part of the Hall's collection but wasn't on display as I hadn't seen it anywhere.

I would find it and get my picture "with it" and it was all due to a piece of cake and former Chargers wide receiver Charlie Joiner.

 

As the video ended and filing out of the theatre began, two employees each had their own table with a massive cake to celebrate the birthday of Charlie Joiner.

After being given a slice, I realized that there was nowhere to eat the cake as you aren't allowed to take it through the museum and yet I'm holding this on a flimsy paper plate.

I remembered reading on the HOF website that they had a small "snack bar" someplace and I decided to try to find that, figuring there would be tables located there.

I did see some signs for certain locations and a snack bar was listed, so as I followed the signs it became clear that the snack bar was located in a tucked-away area with lower foot traffic.

I entered an area and could see the snack bar on the other end of the open space and as I moved towards it, just before reaching the door, on my left, was the USFL trophy inside a case with a few other league items (Believe it or not, I owned the shirt inside the case, although I wasn't at that game).

After I found a place to dispose of the cake ( I took a small bite), I was able to take a few pictures of the trophy with the best one at the top of the page and the worst one of me above.

I was pleased that I was able to find the trophy, especially when it appeared that I might not see it at all.

I'm not sure if I'll ever return to the Hall again, although there is one scenario that I am considering that could see me do some research behind the scenes, but I enjoyed it more in hindsight through the eyes of a child than I do as a middle-aged man.

Still, if you care even a little about pro football, you need to make the trip to Canton at least once.