The Pro Football Hall of Fame will hold its inaugural High School Classic in Canton, Ohio, on Sept. 6. The event will feature a triple-header of football games involving six high schools, each with an alumnus who is a Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee. The launch of this series comes as part of the Hall’s efforts to expand youth-focused programming and highlight character development within football.
The first matchup will see Canton GlenOak (home to Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf, Class of 1996) play against Cleveland East Tech (Bob Brown, Class of 2004) at noon. The second game pairs Pittsburgh Central Catholic (Dan Marino, Class of 2005) with Woodland Hills (Jason Taylor, Class of 2017) at 3:30 p.m. The final game will be between Canton McKinley (Marion Motley, Class of 1968) and Cleveland Heights (Tom Mack, Class of 1999), kicking off at 7 p.m.
Hall of Famer Tom Mack is scheduled to attend along with Anthony Muñoz (Class of 1998). Muñoz participated in the ribbon-cutting for the “Character” exhibit earlier this year and has served on the Hall’s National High School Football Council supporting these initiatives.
Jim Porter, president & CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, commented on the new initiative: “Thousands of kids and their families have engaged with the multimedia storytelling of the ‘Character’ exhibit as part of their tours in the Hall to better understand and appreciate how team sports, especially football, grow and enhance lifelong positive traits learned on the field and in the locker room (…) Now the Hall is taking its emphasis on character development forward in a big way with the High School Classic and the video messages sent to families via the Hall app.”
As part of ongoing outreach efforts, a ten-week sequence of daily character-development messages for players, coaches and families will also begin Aug. 16 via the Pro Football Hall of Fame app. Weeklong themes such as “Commitment,” “Handling Adversity” and “Leadership” are planned throughout Ohio’s high school football season. These messages feature input from several Pro Football Hall of Famers and other notable leaders.
Game tickets start at $6 for students (pre-sale price), rising up to $21 for Gold Section seats that grant access for all three games including stadium re-entry privileges. Fans may watch live coverage through FloSports or visit FloCollege.com for more information.
Both programs are supported through a partnership between Visit Canton—the local Convention and Visitors’ Bureau—and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Admission hours at the museum run from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m., transitioning to winter hours after Labor Day.
Located in Canton—the birthplace of the National Football League—the Pro Football Hall of Fame operates as a not-for-profit institution dedicated to honoring professional football’s history while promoting core values associated with excellence within sport.
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