Randle strengthens the Hall’s collection

Late last week the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s curatorial staff received a large brown box. The return address read: John Randle. What was found inside the box made the day seem like every holiday wrapped into one for the Hall of Fame’s curatorial team.

Randle, who will be formally enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, Aug. 7, literally emptied his closet full of football memorabilia and sent it to Canton to be added into the Hall of Fame’s permanent collection of artifacts.

Among the items Randle donated to the Hall of Fame was his helmet from the 1999 season and the shoes he wore in 2000, his final season with the Minnesota Vikings. Also in the package was the defensive tackle’s shoulder pads he used for his final eight seasons in the National Football League from 1996-2003. The pads have a unique flair to them as each breastplate has a mud flap attached to it emblazoned with the Harley-Davidson logo.

The final artifact in the package was a first for the Hall of Fame’s collection. Randle, who was known for his tenacity and overpowering strength off the line, sent the Hall his industrial-sized hand strengthener. The unique object was used religiously by Randle throughout his entire career to increase his forearm strength.

The recently obtained mementos will soon be used to “strengthen” the visitor’s experience in a special display inside the Hall of Fame’s Moments, Memories & Mementos Gallery.

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