Hall of Famers & Youth to Participate in Play Football "First Play" & Skills Camp

Several Hall of Famers will join a record number of participants at the annual Play Football “First Play” on Wednesday, Aug. 1 to kick off the 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls. Later in the day, Hall of Famers will participate in a special Skills Camp with area youth athletes. The events also launch the National Football League’s Play Football Month, a nationwide celebration of youth and high school football players.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 19^th Annual Play Football “First Play” is set for 10 a.m. on Aug. 1. A chain of nearly 3,000 children will pass a football along a three-mile route, starting in downtown Canton where the NFL was founded in 1920 to the front steps of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Four Hall of Famers – ELVIN BETHEA, JOE DeLAMIELLEURE, MIKE HAYNES and RICKEY JACKSON will participate in the opening ceremony for Play Football “First Play” and join the children along the route.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s vast programming is deeply rooted in the Hall’s Mission to “Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values & Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE!” The Play Football Skills Camp is one of many ways that the Hall of Fame collaborates with the NFL to recognize and celebrate the core values earned from the Game – commitment, integrity, courage, respect, and excellence – that help build character in all areas of life. Hall of Famers participating in the 2018 Play Football Skills Camp includes MEL BLOUNT, TIM BROWN, ERIC DICKERSON, MARSHALL FAULK, JOHN RANDLE and WILL SHIELDS.

More than 200 athletes will participate in the Play Football Skills Camp scheduled 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The camp will focus on the fundamentals of football as well as the character and values it builds in all who play the game. The Hall of Fame greats will lead football skills and drills alongside coaches and football players from local high schools and universities. The clinic will take place at the new National Youth Football & Sports Complex, part of Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village, an $899 million mixed-use development project of the Pro Football Hall of Fame campus.

These and several other youth-focused festivities at Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls mark the launch of the NFL’s Play Football Month. Throughout the preseason, Play Football Month will celebrate the values of the game and recognize the efforts and contributions of youth and high school football players across the country. The League, its 32 clubs and partners, such as USA Football, will recognize youth athletes, coaches, families and their communities by inviting youth football players to participate in a variety of special activities.

MEDIA COVERAGE

Any credential issued for the 2018 Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls will allow media access to the Play Football “First Play” and Skills Camp.