Pro Football Hall of Fame Game: Josh McDaniels returns to his roots

By Barry Wilner
Special to the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Few NFL coaches — possibly none — have the familiarity with Canton, the Pro Football Hall of Fame and, most especially, Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium that Josh McDaniels does.

Now the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders following a lengthy and successful stint running the offense for the New England Patriots, McDaniels grew up in Canton. He played football for Canton McKinley High School, taking the field at Fawcett Stadium – the forerunner of the current Hall of Fame venue – for his father, Thom.

“It was a great place to be a young boy that loved football, and what a blessing that I have an opportunity to come back there and do it,” Josh McDaniels said earlier this week. “I never dreamed that this would have happened.”

With former Raiders star receiver CLIFF BRANCH, who passed away three years ago, and former defensive lineman RICHARD SEYMOUR being enshrined into the Hall on Saturday, it was a natural that the Raiders were invited to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Hall of Fame Game. For McDaniels, having an extra preseason contest to evaluate personnel certainly is helpful. Coming back to his roots is absolutely exceptional.

“It was never lost on me that this is a special place,” he said. “There is such an element of history and tradition.

“We took a poll the other day and there’s a lot of them that have never been there,” McDaniels said of his current players. “They’re in this fraternity, and it’s this special place and I’ve been through it I can’t tell you how many times. And each time I go through it, I see something different or new or they’ve added to it.

“You just get excited because it’s such an important part of our game, and so to be able to represent the league and our team going there and playing with Richard and Cliff going in, it’s just an exciting opportunity for us, and I think our team is excited.”

Josh is not the only member of the McDaniels family with a successful history in Canton football. In his own right, Thom McDaniels has had a profoundly successful career in football, winning nine Coach of the Year honors, including the national award by USA Today in 1997, and being enshrined in Ohio’s high school football hall of fame.

And now his son will coach in the stadium that has been like a second home for the family.

“It will be really an experience,” Josh McDaniels said. “Surreal is probably a good word for it ... my family has spent a lot of nights there over many, many years, and so it’s a special place for us, and looking forward to having a special night hopefully on Thursday.”