Longtime Hall visitor laments missing 'best weekend in sports'
By Howard Balzer
(Reprinted with permission; originally posted Aug. 7)
As training camps forge on in the NFL in what is an unprecedented summer, this weekend is the first true casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In what was slated to be the first of a dual Centennial Celebration, the streets of Canton, Ohio, are quiet on the day of what would have been the Pro Football Hall of Fame Gold Jacket dinner Friday night for five modern-day players (Steve Atwater, Isaac Bruce, Steve Hutchinson, Edgerrin James and Troy Polamalu), two head coaches (Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson) and three contributors (Steve Sabol, Paul Tagliabue and George Young).
The over 4,000 volunteers, many of whom plan their vacations to help during the weekend, aren’t as busy this year.