Dierdorf named fundraising chair

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Trustees has announced that Dan Dierdorf has agreed to serve as Chairman of the Hall of Fame’s first-ever National Fundraising Campaign.   The campaign’s goal is to raise $60 million over a five-year period that will be used to modernize and renovate the Hall of Fame facilities and expand its national outreach programs.

A native of Canton, Ohio, and a life-long supporter of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Dierdorf was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1996 after an extraordinary career as an offensive tackle with the St. Louis Cardinals (1971-83).

“When I was just a 13-year-old kid, I would ride my bike or walk with my Dad to the construction site to watch the Hall of Fame building being built,” related Dierdorf.  “In fact, he and I attended the 1963 ground-breaking ceremony.  Of course I never dreamed back then that someday I would be enshrined as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.” 

“Dan will be a tremendous leader of our first-ever national fundraising campaign,” said Tom Schervish, the Hall of Fame Board of Trustees’ National Fundraising Committee Chairman.  “He’s passionate about the Hall of Fame and is totally committed to our goals to modernize our facilities, expand our national outreach programs, honor the Hall of Famers, and preserve the game’s historic documents and artifacts.”  

Pro Football Hall of Fame President/Executive Director Stephen A. Perry added, “we are thrilled that Dan has agreed to take this leadership role to ensure the long-term success of the Pro Football Hall of Fame as America’s premier sports museum and showplace.  Because he is a member of the Hall of Fame and is so well known and respected, Dan brings a unique capability to reach the individuals, corporations, foundations and government entities needed to provide the necessary resources to make the long-term development plan a reality.”

“I am honored to be the Chairman of this effort,” Dierdorf stated, “and I’m looking forward to working closely with my fellow Hall of Famers and the board and staff at the Hall of Fame.  I’m going to do everything I can to make sure this campaign is a great success.”

The most significant commitment received to date is from the National Football League (NFL).  The NFL club owners approved a commitment of up to $8 million of which nearly $4 million has already been remitted and invested into the renovation and modernization of two of the Hall of Fame’s galleries.

“By providing this level of support the NFL club owners and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell are making a powerful statement about their belief in the value of this great institution and their desire to see its continued growth and success,” stated Perry. 

Other gifts or expressions of support have been pledged by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Trustees, staff members, Hall of Famers, and local foundations and corporations, and individuals.  “The goal now is to broaden the campaign to include donors on a national level,” offered Perry.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame will provide periodic announcements regarding the campaign including reports on the progress of facility improvements and national program expansion initiatives.

Dan Dierdorf Bio

Dan Dierdorf, a former tackle with the St. Louis Cardinals, was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996.  During his 13 seasons with the Cardinals, he was named All-Pro five times, selected as the NFL Players Association’s top offensive lineman three times, and was voted to the NFL Team of the Decade for the 1970s. In 2006, he was inducted into the Arizona Cardinals Ring of Honor as recognition for his years with the Cardinals when they played in St. Louis.

Related Links:  Dan Dierdorf's HOF bio>>> Dierdorf named 2008 Rozelle Award winner>>> Cardinals history>>>

An outstanding collegiate star, Dan was a consensus All-America selection as a senior and a two-time All-Big Ten tackle at the University of Michigan.  In addition to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Cardinals Ring of Honor, Dierdorf has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, the University of Michigan Hall of Fame, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

After his successful career as a professional football player, Dierdorf began what has become an equally successful career in the radio and television broadcasting industry.  He was recently named the 2008 recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award in recognition of his “long-time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football.”

Dierdorf began his broadcasting career in 1984.  That year he served as color analyst for KMOX Radio's coverage of the St. Louis Cardinals, announced National Football League games for the CBS Radio Network and provided color commentary for radio broadcasts of the National Hockey League’s St. Louis Blues.   He was also a play-by-play announcer on television for CBS Sports' NFL broadcasts in 1985 before switching to color analysis in 1986.  He was an analyst for ABC Sports' "Monday Night Football" for 12 years.  In 1999 he returned to CBS Sports as a game analyst for the network’s coverage of THE NFL ON CBS.  Dan is nationally recognized as one of the top football announcers in the industry and is a three-time Emmy Award nominee (1987, 1988, and 1989) as Outstanding Sports Analyst.

Active in his community, Dierdorf has served for 23 years on the Board of Trustees of Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis, which includes an emergency and trauma center named in his honor, and for 27 years served on the board of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's St. Louis Chapter.  Dierdorf was appointed by Missouri Governor Matt Blount to the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission and serves a Chairman of that organization.  He also is a member of the Board of Directors of the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association. 

Dan and his wife Debbie live in St. Louis and are the parents of four children.