CANTON, Ohio — It's a truly magical week in the city of Canton, Ohio, as events and festivities are well underway to celebrate the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement on Saturday, Aug. 5.
But none of it would be possible without the institution itself and the people inside all helping to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame a game changer for Northeast Ohio. It’s here where the NFL was founded back in 1920, and where the best to have ever played the game come to receive their gold jackets and spill their emotions, all for the fans who just can’t get enough football.
To make things even more exciting, this year former Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas officially joins the small, elite group of players honored with the class of 2023. Thomas' bronzed bust, number 369, will soon be seen inside the incredible Hall of Fame Gallery.
"Really for us, it's about honoring the legacies of these 371 individuals who are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame," Chief Communications Officer Rich Desrosiers told 3News.
59 years after its doors first opened, the Hall of Fame's eye-catching dome structure has become an icon that defines Canton and all of Northeast Ohio. No surprise, as the popularity of the game has grown, so has the Hall and the fanfare during Enshrinement Week.
"As you go north or south on Interstate 77, we are fortunate that the museum sits right off of it for people to see and be reminded it is right here and nowhere else," Desrosiers pointed out. "The game is changing in Northeast Ohio. I think we're rewriting the narrative of how we see ourselves and how the outside world sees us."
There's new leadership at the helm as well. President Jim Porter stepped into the role in 2021, and is helping to usher the institution into a new era while also elevating its national profile as its footprint expands.
Inside the Hall, the gallery continues to add new exhibits. Next door, the Hall of Fame Village is fully operational with three rides and more at the Play Action Plaza. A hotel and waterpark are expected to be ready by next year.
"I use the analogy of a bicycle tire, and we're that center hub, and the Village is all of the spokes coming off of that center hub. We are the magnet that is going to attract people to Canton, Ohio, in the first place. And the Village is the reason they're going to stay for more than a few-hour tour of the hall,” Desrosiers said.
As Archivist Jon Kendle says, this is a place that can make all of Northeast Ohio proud.
"No matter where you go in the country and throughout the world, you say 'Canton, Ohio,' and it's synonymous with the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which is synonymous with excellence."
