After a year of not being able to go anywhere, the D9and10sports crew thought it would be fun to put together some vacation ideas for the great folks in D9/D10, and what better way to do that than to explore the ideas ourselves. So come along for the ride. It should be fun.
CANTON, Ohio – We had every intention of ending this baseball-themed week with another baseball game.
In fact, we were about an hour or so away from Cleveland, where we planned on watching the Indians take on the Kansas City Royals.
But, Mother Nature had different ideas.
A steady, hard rain that we had been driving through since leaving Columbus forced the postponement of the game.
So we called an audible and headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
This is a must-stop for any football fan, and considering the proximity to District 9 and District 10 (heck the farthest trip is from Coudersport at just over 4 hours, 15 minutes) while much of District 9 and District 10 is within two hours or less.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is a great place to see memorabilia from the years gone by. Everything from the original football helmets to old team jackets and uniforms.
A down-marker box from the early days of the NFL
Memorabilia from the Miami Dolphins unbeaten 1972 season
John Elway Denver Broncos jersey (on left), Reggie White Pro Bowl jersey (on right), Cincinnati Bengals helmet
One of the cooler jerseys on display is the Arizona Cardinals jersey of Pat Tillman, who gave up his pro football career after 9/11 to serve in the army and was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2004.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame also a great place to find information on all of your favorite teams – including one board that shows records year-by-year for every NFL franchise. For you Steelers fans, the Steelers have had just seven losing seasons since 1972, that’s seven losing seasons in 49 years.
One of the cooler displays is the Super Bowl ring from every winner from Green Bay in Super Bowl I to Kansas City in Super Bowl LIV (sorry Tampa Bay and Tom Brady fans the Super Bowl LV ring isn’t displayed yet).
Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl XL ring
There is a lot of flavor for local football fans as well.
The Steelers, of course, are heavily featured considering they were the first team to six Super Bowl championships.
Terry Bradshaw helmet
But don’t fret Browns, Bills, and Eagles fans. You have plenty to see as well.
A Cleveland Browns jacket from the middle of the 20th century
Eagles vs. Browns program and Otto Graham award belt. Graham was the quarterback for the Browns in the 1940s and 1950s
Philadelphia Eagles certificate of acceptance into the NFL in 1933
East Brady’s own Jim Kelly, who took the Bills to four Super Bowls, is also heavily featured with everything from his Bills’ jersey to a one-of-a-kind motorcycle with a special Jim Kelly Hall of Fame Logo that is signed by Evel Knievel and Robert Knievel that was given to Kelly in 2008 and was subsequently taken to the Hall of Fame to Kelly’s Houston Gambler’s USFL uniform.
Jim Kelly Houston Gamblers uniform
Jim Kelly Buffalo Bills uniform and display
Jim Kelly Hall of Fame motorcycle signed by Evel Knievel and Robert Knievel
For you gamers out there, there is also a display of every Madden cover ever made from 1988 through 2013 including the first one in 1990 featuring Madden himself to the 2013 version featuring Calvin Johnson, Jr.
First John Madden Football game circa 1988
There are also a few displays for women in pro football, including the historic game last season between the Browns and the Washington Football Team. Each team had a female coach and a female referee officiated in the game.
There is also a Hall of Fame within a Hall of Fame, as the Black College Football Hall of Fame is located within the Pro Football Hall of Fame and features former greats like Mel Blount, Hugh Douglas, and Doug Williams who were involved with college football at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Black College Hall of Fame plaques for Lloyd C.A. “Judge” Wells and Harold “Double ‘O’ Soul” Jackson
The major highlight of the Pro Football Hall of Fame is the room with all of the Hall of Fame busts in it. It is quite a sight to see and is something that no true football fan wants to miss. Every player, coach, executive to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame has a bust with his likeness on it. The display starts with the first class in 1963 and goes through the upcoming 2020 and 2021 classes (although not all the busts are out yet for the 2020 and 2021 classes – the 2020 class was delayed a year because of the COVID-19 Pandemic).
Jim Kelly
Jerome Bettis (left) and Tony Dungy
Jim Brown (left) and Joe Namath
Thanks for joining us on our adventures this past week. We hope you enjoyed it.
Richard Dent helmet
Tom Flores, 2021 Inductee, display
New York Jets trunk
