Peyton Manning 509 record football placed on display

The football thrown by Peyton Manning against the San Francisco 49ers for his record-breaking 509th career touchdown pass safely arrived at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Monday evening.

On Tuesday morning, Keith Rossell of Zionsville, Ind. along with his twin sons Owen and Elliott and his father Ted Rossell, were the first visitors to arrive at the main entrance of the Hall of Fame. It was their lucky day. The family of Colts and Browns fans were selected to place Manning’s record football on exhibit in the Hall of Fame’s Pro Football Today Gallery. They gladly accepted.

“I thought he earned it,” stated Keith when asked if he watched Manning’s historic moment. “I was amazed he was able to come back from his surgery and persevere.”

Q & A with the HOF's Collections Curator Jason Aikens Q: What’s with the gloves when mementos are placed on exhibit? A: The natural oils in your hand can damage the artifacts by leaving embedded finger prints so we wear the gloves to protect the mementos long-term. The gloves are made of cotton which is an archival safe material. Q: Why are the gloves pink? A: We are wearing the pink gloves in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We want to honor and help raise awareness for Breast Cancer fighters and survivors.

“It’s cool!” shouted the smiling twin boys in unison. 

The 10-year old boys, who were on fall break and visiting the Hall of Fame for the first time, beamed as they placed the football and a handmade “509” sign on display. Manning created the sign after the Broncos 42-17 victory to pose with Demaryius Thomas, who was on the receiving end of the record pass.

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Video: Check out footage of the football thrown by Peyton Manning against the 49ers for his record-breaking 509th career touchdown arriving at the Hall of Fame and being placed on display>>>