Hall of Fame to open Gridiron Glory

GRIDIRON GLORY

Tour kicks off Oct. 6 in Pittsburgh as part of multi-city, multi-year road show bringing the best of the Hall of Fame to fans across the country. The current Gridiron Glory tour schedule and list of venues, with additional markets to be announced in coming months: Pittsburgh – Fall 2012 – Heinz History Center New Orleans – Winter/Super Bowl 2013 – National WWII Museum St. Louis – Summer 2013 – Missouri History Museum New York/New Jersey – Winter/Super Bowl 2014 – Liberty Science Center Detroit – Fall 2014 – Henry Ford Museum Minneapolis/St. Paul – Fall 2016 – Minnesota History Center Museum

The Pro Football Hall of Fame will hit the road to commemorate its 50th Anniversary, announcing today the largest traveling exhibition in its history – Gridiron Glory: The Best of the Pro Football Hall of Fame – that will capture the essence of the Hall of Fame experience. Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, one of many legendary stars featured in the exhibit, will serve as Gridiron Glory’s national ambassador.

This 5,000 square-foot interactive multimedia exhibit features more than 200 mementos from the Hall of Fame’s vast collection including the iconic Vince Lombardi Trophy, select showings of original Hall of Fame busts, new material from NFL Films, never-before-seen artifacts, immersive fan experiences and specially-designed “Hometown Tribute” sections to spotlight the local team. There will also be educational programming, an on-site retail element and Hall of Famers themselves will make special appearances throughout its run.

Gridiron Glory will debut in Pittsburgh at the Heinz History Center beginning on Saturday, Oct. 6, followed by a Super Bowl XLVII stint at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, stops in St. Louis, Detroit and then onto New York/New Jersey for the Super Bowl XLVIII in Feb. 2014, with additional NFL markets to be announced. 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.

{GALLERY}“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."

“When the Hall of Fame approached me about Gridiron Glory, I knew I had to be involved,” said Sanders, who was enshrined in 2004. “I have a great amount of respect for the history of the game and this exhibit will really open people’s eyes. I know it did mine.”

Among the hundreds of Pro Football Hall of Fame artifacts on display will be 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 will be 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:

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
Drew Brees’ 5,000-yard passing record jersey

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.

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