I can't imagine the Pro Football Hall of Fame being anywhere but Canton. I felt that way before I visited the city and the Hall of Fame. I most certainly feel that way now. It's a natural relationship. The reasons always given for the location are these:
a) It was the birthplace of the American Professional Football Association (the forerunner of the NFL)
b) Jim Thorpe first played pro ball in 1915 with the Canton Bulldogs.
c) The Canton Bulldogs had the NFL's first little dynasty, winning titles in 1922 and '23.
The first one is really the only reason that I ever needed to feel great about the location. The city of Canton shows every year that it was the right choice. Really, the only choice.
Still, there were other contenders. The city of Latrobe, Pennsylvania was actually awarded the site of the Hall of Fame in 1947. This was based on the assumption of the historians at the time that the first paid professional had played for a Latrobe football team. That player was John Brallier. It wasn't until the early 1960's that it was discovered that William "Pudge" Heffelfinger had been paid to play football for the Allegheny Athletic Association a few years before Brallier. It didn't really matter as Latrobe was never able to get the project off the ground.
On December 6, 1959, the Canton Repository issued a Hall of Fame challenge to the city of Canton. The newspaper's headline read: "Pro Football Needs a Hall of Fame and Logical Choice is Here." Canton answered the challenge. In particular, H.H. Timken Jr., chairman of the board at the Timken Roller Bearing Company, was intrigued. On January 25, 1961, at the NFL's owner's meeting in New York City, Canton made a formal bid for the Hall of Fame. Detroit and Pittsburgh were in the running but Canton was too far ahead. The Canton representatives estimated the cost of the Hall of Fame to be three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The city of Canton would donate two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, while Timken himself would donate one hundred thousand dollars. The NFL owners listened when they learned others would pay the bills. Three months later, Canton was selected as the site of the Hall of Fame. A fund raising campaign was started on December 7, 1961. In less than three months, the city raised $378,026 through community pledges.
On April 4, 1962, the Hall of Fame made a brilliant move by hiring Richard (Dick) McCann as its first director. McCann resigned as the general manager of the Washington Redskins, a job that he'd held for fifteen years. It was his responsibility to collect the football memorabilia that would help trace the history of the game. It was his innovation and dedication that made the Hall of Fame a success from the very beginning. Ground was broken on August 11, 1962. NFL. The building opened to the public on September 7, 1963, with the enshrinement of 17 charter members. The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio was on it's way.
More than 10 million fans have visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame since its opening fifty years ago. The attendance pace was slow at first but saw a dramatic increase in the 1970s. That increase is actually quite curious. The greatest attendance numbers in the history of the Hall of Fame are found in the decade of the '70s. I guess that the 1971 Class of Vince Lombardi, Jim Brown, Y.A. Tittle, Andy Robustelli, Norm Van Brocklin, Bill Hewitt, Frank "Bruiser" Kinard kicked started some interest. That is quite a class.
After seeing first hand the way that the city of Canton embraces the Hall of Fame and the annual inductions, I'm convinced that there could be no better location. I only saw a fraction of all that Canton does and it was amazing. From the parade to the volunteers to all the pageantry that we see on TV, it's a beautiful experience to see a city showing that it truly cares about the Hall of Famers and the Hall of Fame. I want to go back as often as I can. Thank you Canton, Ohio. It's a wonderful thing that you do.
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