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Ohio inventions and firsts · Achievement · 1963

Pro Football Hall of Fame

The Hall opened September 7, 1963 at 2121 George Halas Dr. NW, Canton; Canton won it for the NFL's 1920 founding there, the Bulldogs' titles and nearly $400,000 raised locally.

At a glance

Year
1963
Place
Canton, Stark County ZIP 44708 · Canton · Stark County

The story

A sport that was founded in a town needs a place to remember it. Canton was chosen for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for three reasons: the NFL was formed there in 1920, the Canton Bulldogs had been an early champion, and the community raised nearly $400,000 for the building.

It opened on September 7, 1963 at 2121 George Halas Drive NW. The first class had 17 members. The original building had just 19,000 square feet, and it has been enlarged in 1971, 1978, 1995 and 2013, when it reached 118,000 square feet.

As of 2026 there are 387 members, with four to nine new ones usually inducted each year. After the first big expansion, yearly attendance passed 200,000 for the first time.

A multi-phase development called the Hall of Fame Village began in 2016, aimed at entertainment, retail, housing and hotels. As of 2026 that project was unfinished.

Timeline

  • 1920-09-17: Team representatives meet in Canton and form the league that becomes the NFL. (Canton, OH) source
  • 1963-09-07: The Pro Football Hall of Fame opens with a first class of 17. (Canton, OH) source
  • 1971: First expansion, to 34,000 square feet. (Canton, OH) source
  • 1978: Expansion to 50,500 square feet. (Canton, OH) source
  • 1995: Expansion to 82,307 square feet. (Canton, OH) source
  • 2013: Expansion to 118,000 square feet. (Canton, OH) source
  • 2016: The Hall of Fame Village project begins. (Canton, OH) source

What it changed

  • 387 members as of 2026.
  • Local people raised nearly $400,000 to bring it to Canton.

Why it matters

National museum.

Places in Ohio to see

Further reading

Sources

Confidence. High: the main facts were confirmed in sources we opened.