Hall of Fame’s Super Bowl presence

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While the NFL doesn't own the Hall of Fame, they are without any doubt such great supporters of us in so many ways. A couple that come to mind is the way in which the league incorporates the Hall of Fame into the overall Super Bowl scene. And, we're not just talking about our announcement press conference/show that took place on Saturday night in Dallas.

Yesterday, before a world-wide audience, five of the seven newly elected members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2011 were on hand for the pre-game coin toss. That was a tradition that the NFL began at last year's Super Bowl.

Then, as the final gun sounded and the confetti filled the air at Cowboys Stadium, there was Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach dressed in his Hall of Fame gold jacket as he carried the Vince Lombardi Trophy to be presented to the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers. Another tradition the NFL started last year was that the trophy would be made earlier than in the past so that it could be placed on exhibit at the Hall of Fame in Canton during the regular season.

This year's trophy was placed on display in our Lamar Hunt Super Bowl Gallery in September. We removed it from the exhibit in January and returned the trophy to the NFL. On Sunday night, there it was as the main focus of the post-game celebration. The Vince Lombardi Trophy for Super Bowl XLV is almost to its final destination. Thanks to the NFL, thousands of fans were able to see the actual trophy in Canton throughout the season. Then, the elated Green Bay Packers were able to clutch it last night. Now, it makes it final journey to Green Bay!