Joe Namath to help cut ribbon on June 1

HOF QB and SB III MVP to help open “new” Pro Football Hall of Fame

The Pro Football Hall of Fame will celebrate the completion of its $27 million “Future 50” Expansion & Renovation Project with a Grand Opening Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony on Saturday, June 1 (add event to your Outlook>>>). Scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. EDT, the ceremony will be held on the front steps of the Hall of Fame’s new grand entrance. The public is encouraged to attend.

Legendary quarterback Joe Namath will join Hall of Fame executives and local and state officials at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Namath, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1985, was pro football’s first 4,000-yard passer and MVP in Super Bowl III.

The Grand Opening marks the completion of a two-year, two-phase project that is the largest in the Hall of Fame’s 50-year history. The second and most recently completed phase features 37,000 square feet of renovated space within the vastly expanded Hall of Fame. The renovation includes dramatic new exhibition galleries, a new Hall of Fame Store, and an upgraded artifact collection storage space with state-of-the-art environmental control systems.

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The most visible and dramatic change within the Hall of Fame are the new exhibition galleries that fill two levels of the Hall of Fame’s original iconic rotunda. Here, exciting interactive displays, thrilling NFL Films footage and one-of-a-kind artifacts capture the essence of pro football past and present.

The first level of the totally redesigned space chronicles the history of the game from its earliest years to the present day, highlighting all the key moments of pro football’s colorful story. The second level takes a more thematic approach with exhibits focused on high-interest topics such as Pro Football’s Road to Equality; Pro Football as Pop Culture; Perfection; Dynasties; Science and Innovation; Pioneers; and the X’s and O’s of the Game. 

Also included in the renovated interior space of the Hall of Fame is a Special Exhibits Gallery where new displays will be installed periodically throughout the year. The first exhibition will feature the Best of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Photo Collection.

Throughout the new-look Hall of Fame, visitors will experience interactive activities such as stepping into an authentic Instant Replay Booth where they can “make the call.”  They can try on an NFL helmet and listen to actual coach-to-quarterback play calls from real NFL games, or they can test their football IQ with trivia challenges and fun facts.

Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, fans can tour the newly expanded and renovated museum and enjoy the spectacular new exhibits. There will be a special commemorative gift for the first 1,000 people to enter the museum on this special day. Docents will also be on hand for presentations and to answer any specific questions regarding the "Future 50” Expansion & Renovation Project and new exhibits.

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