Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium

Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
The stadium in 2006
Earlier names
Fawcett Stadium (1938-2014)
Data
place	2121 George Halas Drive NW Canton , Ohio 44708
Coordinates	40 ° 49 '11 "  N , 81 ° 23' 53"  W Coordinates: 40 ° 49 '11 "  N , 81 ° 23' 53"  W.
owner	Canton City School District
start of building	1924
opening	September 17, 1938
First game	September 17, 1938 Canton McKinley Bulldogs - Lehman 48: 6
Renovations	1997, 2015-2016
surface	Artificial turf ( FieldTurf , since 2004)
costs	500,000 US dollars (1938)
capacity	22,375 seats
Societies)
Canton McKinley High School Bulldogs (since 1924) Timken High School Trojans Malone University Pioneers Walsh University Cavaliers
Events
Victory Bowl ( NCCAA , 1997-2000) Pro Football Hall of Fame Game American Football Junior World Championship 2009 American Football World Cup 2015

The Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium is an American football - stadium in the US city of Canton in the state of Ohio . It is the venue for the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game of the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well as high school and college football -Play.

history

The stadium opened on September 17, 1938 and was named after John A. Fawcett, a noted athlete and member of the local education committee, until 2014. Fawcett died on 23 October 1935 at the age of 44, several years before the stadium opened at a pneumonia . Mostly used by local high schools and colleges, it is home to the Ohio State Championship Games.

The former Fawcett Stadium was for 500,000 dollars built and was at this time with a capacity of 15,000 spectators, the largest high school stadium in the United States. Originally it was surrounded by the so-called "Stadium Park". In 1962, the park was home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame to commemorate the founding of the National Football League in Canton .

In 1997 the stadium was completely modernized. Among other things, new artificial turf was laid for 4.3 million US dollars , new players' cabins were built, the video wall and sound system were renewed and the conditions for the fans were considerably improved. When in 1998 the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game was moved to the evening hours of prime time , the television station ABC demanded better lighting conditions. The floodlight system was then increased by five to nine masts. The NFL paid $ 365,000 for this. In 2009, the stadium was given a new press stand for 3.4 million US dollars.

In November 2014, it was announced that Tom Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints ( NFL ) and New Orleans Pelicans ( NBA ), had donated $ 11 million to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was the largest single donation in the history of the Hall of Fame. Ten million of the sum went into the renovation of the stadium. The Hall of Fame then agreed with the Canton City School District to name the stadium after Tom Benson. Fawcett Stadium was renamed the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium after more than 75 years .

Web links

• profootballhof.com: The stadium on the site of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (English)
• Fawcett Stadium to be named Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium ( Memento of 25 February 2015, Internet Archive )
• stadiumjourney.com: stadiums in the United States (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} The Monday After: Fawcett Stadium was dedicated 75 years ago Article from September 28, 2014 (English)
2. ↑ ^{a b} Fawcett Stadium Football.ballparks.com, Retrieved September 4, 2014 (English)
3. ↑ Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium (English)
4. ↑ Fawcett to be renamed Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium Article from November 23, 2014