The Pro Football Hall of Fame, as part of its 50th Anniversary celebration, is currently touring the largest traveling exhibition in its history – Gridiron Glory: The Best of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The 5,000 square-foot exhibit features more than 200 artifacts from the Hall of Fame’s collection and captures the essence of the Hall of Fame experience.
The exhibit includes numerous artifacts from the Hall of Fame’s vast collection that are being displayed for the first time. This interactive multimedia experience also includes new material from NFL Films, immersive fan experiences and a specially-designed “Hometown Tribute” section to spotlight the local team. There is also specially-made educational programming, an on-site retail element and Hall of Famers themselves will make special appearances throughout its run.
Gridiron Glory opened at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, Pa., in Oct. 2012 and ran through early January 2013.
The exhibit is currently in New Orleans, La., the host city for Super Bowl XLVII, for a stint at the National WWII Museum and opened on Jan. 26, 2013.
Future stops include:
St. Louis - Summer 2013 at the Missouri History Museum
New York/New Jersey - Winter/Super Bowl 2014 at the Liberty Science Center
Detroit - Fall 2014 at the Henry Ford Museum
Minneapolis/St. Paul - Fall 2016 at the Minnesota History Center Museum
The exhibit will be hosted by many of the nation's top cultural, educational and sports venues and spend between three to six months in each city.Additional venues and schedules will be added in the coming months.
Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, one of many legendary stars featured in the exhibit, is the national ambassador for Gridiron Glory.
"Football wasn't always this big, glamorous conglomerate – it's much more than just what you see on Sundays," say Sanders. "This gives you a taste of what you experience in Canton, but it really tells a remarkable story of the game -- how it's evolved and how it's found a place in the conscience of the nation."
“We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to extend the experience of the Hall of Fame beyond our walls in Canton,” said Joe Horrigan, vice president-communications/exhibits at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “Gridiron Glory is designed to galvanize fans in a compelling way and provides a perfect platform for us to reach new audiences."
Among the hundreds of Pro Football Hall of Fame artifacts on display is Sanders’ game worn jersey from 1997 when he became only the third player in history to break the 2,000-yard rushing mark. Also on exhibit is one of the Hall of Fame’s rarest documents, the 1892 accounting ledger from football’s first paid player that is regarded as pro football’s “birth certificate.”
A sampling of other mementos on exhibit in Gridiron Glory include (Also see photo gallery above):
Vince Lombardi Trophy
Authentic interactive instant replay booth
Knute Rockne’s 1919 Massillon Tigers helmet
Jim Brown’s game worn jersey
Jerry Rice’s career touchdown receptions record football
Emmitt Smith’s rushing record game artifacts
Gridiron Glory is a production of Pro Football Exhibits, LLC, owned and funded by GALLO museum services. The exhibit is designed by Gallagher & Associates, while Evergreen Exhibitions spearheads all aspects of venue sales and Event Network serves as retail designer and operator. This producing team has developed many world class museums and exhibits including the Grammy Museum, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, International Spy Museum, Kentucky Derby Museum, Academy Awards Museum and The Mob Museum.
USA Today: Ready for some football with your museum