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The Pro Football Hall of Fame is strategically located in Canton, Ohio, and it has been that way since Sept. 7, 1963.
The Hall of Fame is the home of legendary busts, jackets and artifacts of the league's greatest players. For an individual to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, such a person must have positively impacted professional football for a sustained period.
A person can be inducted as a player, coach, contributor or senior member. Each of these methods requires a person to pass the eye test, character test and consistency test.
The Hall of Fame is difficult to get into, as the individual must have been head and shoulders ahead of his peers to get enshrined. That's why a legend like Shannon Sharpe couldn't even get in on the first ballot, and his older brother, Green Bay Packers legend Sterling Sharpe, has not been voted in.
Why is the Pro Football Hall of Fame located in Canton?
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is located in Canton for three major reasons. They are:
- Elite-level American football has existed since 1892, but it had no formal structure until September 17, 1920, when some men met in a showroom in Canton owned by the then-owner of the Canton Bulldogs. These men left the place having founded the American Professional Football Association, later renamed the NFL in 1922.
- Another reason is that the Canton Bulldogs, who existed at the inception of American football, are an iconic team. The Bulldogs won the first two championships in 1922 and 1923, becoming the first team to win back-to-back titles, a feat that hardly occurs today.
- Last but not least is the fact that the Canton citizens of 1960 brought together the money necessary for the building of the Hall of Fame to be constructed. The $400,000 fundraising masterpiece event was an iconic gesture needed to designate Canton as the Pro Football Hall of Fame site.
The members of the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class
The 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame members are:
- Ronde Barber (player)
- Darrelle Revis (player)
- Joe Thomas (player)
- Zach Thomas (player)
- DeMarcus Ware (player)
- Don Coryell (coach/contributor)
- Chuck Howley (senior)
- Joe Klecko (senior)
- Ken Riley (senior)
The Class of 2023 will be inducted into the Professional Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 5, 2023, at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. Premium and regular tickets for enshrinement will go on sale in a couple of weeks, and we will keep you posted regarding subsequent announcements.
