CANTON, Ohio — After last year’s cancellation of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week, one man didn’t let COVID travel restrictions stop him from sharing his love for the game with fans.
Steve Flack is from London, England. For years, he has been traveling to Canton, Ohio to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame after falling in love with the game of football as a young boy.
“I enjoy learning about [the players] and then helping to share that with other people,” said Flack.” And for people to learn about those wonderful stories and what the [players] have gone through to make it at the Hall of Fame and be a part of football history.
Flack became a volunteer with the Hall of Fame in 2018. Since then, he’s come back to Stark County to volunteer at the museum. This year, he was unable to visit Ohio due to current COVID travel restrictions. But the Hall of Fame used technology to help Flack continue volunteering while in London.
“We took an iPad and put it on a roller in the hallway, and when people come up, he welcomes to them to the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” said David Baker, president, and CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “He’ll talk to them about the gallery or talk to them about artifacts.”
For hours, Flack will share his knowledge about the game with fans through the iPad as a “Dial-A-Docent,” which is a program launched to “allow docents to serve and contribute from the safety of their homes when the Hall reopened last June,” according to the HOF.
“The opportunity to volunteer and be a part of this place, that was like heaven to me,” said Flack. “That was like a dream coming true. I couldn’t think of anything more that I wanted to do.”
Flack and his family own a home in Stark County. Before the pandemic, Flack would visit Ohio twice a year.
Flack has put in more than 1,200 hours as a volunteer. While he’s thankful that technology has given him this opportunity, Flack hopes to make it back to the Hall of Fame, in-person, next year.
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