The Pro Football Hall of Fame began in 1963 with seventeen inductees. Players, team owners, league officials, and coaches can all be inducted into the hall of fame. The main criterion is that they must have made an outstanding contribution to the sport. As of the end of 2009 more than two hundred and fifty individuals had been inducted.
Up until 2010 every player that had been inducted, bar one, had played in the NFL. The only exception is Billy Shaw, who played for the Buffalo Bills, prior to the AFL/NFL merger that took place in 1970. The team that holds the accolade for the most players included in this prestigious grouping is the Chicago Bears with an amazing twenty six individuals.
The actual building that hosts the Hall of Fame is located in Canton, Ohio. There are numerous reasons as to why Canton was chosen. First of all it was here that the original American Professional Football Association was started. At the outset of the professional game the Canton Bulldogs achieved many victories and were known to be amongst the best teams. Another factor that played a major role in the decision was that the local community lobbied extensively for the accolade.
There is a rigorous selection process that is followed before a football player can be enshrined permanently in the hall. A forty four member committee decides upon whether an individual is worthy to be given this prestigious honor. The committee consists mostly of professional sports writers. All the selectors are appointed on an open needed basis and can only be replaced upon resignation, retirement, or death.
Alongside the main selection committee, there is a special seniors committee consisting of nine representatives. The main focus of this group is to submit nominees who contributed to the game before 1985.
There is a strict rule in place which dictates that a nominee who is a player or a coach must have been out of the game for a minimum of five years. This regulation is not used when a team owner or other party is put forward. It is possible for a fan to nominate an individual by contacting the hall of fame committee by email or letter. There is a polling process throughout the year that narrows down the potential candidates to fifteen individuals. The final list is drawn up through a mail ballot of the committee members.
The committee meets the day before the Super Bowl to decide on whom to elect to that year's class. At present between four and seven new inductees are honored each year. The ceremony takes place at the beginning of August. To mark the occasion there is a week long festival held in Canton. The day following the ceremony the NFL preseason begins with a game held in honor of the inductees.
The sculptures that can be viewed in the exhibition center do not make reference to specific teams. The honor is given to the inductees as individual athletes of the highest standard.
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