After years of talking about it, my family and I finally made the trek east to Canton, Ohio to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  My dad's been wanting to make a trip to see it for the longest time and when the opportunity presented itself, thanks to my cousin's impending wedding this weekend in Philadelphia, we decided it was now or never.  So, while the rest of the family boarded a plane to fly to Philly, my dad, mom, aunt and myself set out on the 8 hour drive to Canton.  I have to admit, I'm not as big of a football fan as my dad is but I decided that I needed to go with him to do this, as something that a father/son could share and look back on as a personal bonding experience.

I'm a guy who enjoys history, but I didnt really know what to expect when we stepped into the Hall.  However, it became quite evident early on that I made the right choice.  The first part of the tour details the evolution of the uniforms, the padding, the helmets and the football, with props, momentoes and autographs dated back to the first professional game.  From there you are greeted with a series of exhibits documenting the life and time of Jim Thorpe, the first player ever associated with football.  Throughout the tour there are exhibits that are off to the side, which document important moments that have happened during the course of the game.  From Jim Thorpe to George Blanda, from Bronco Nagurski to Red Grange, the beginning expos tell the story of the pioneers of the game.  The Hall even documents the great teams from the beginning, with exhibits on the Packers, Steelers and Dolphins, and then transforms into some of the modern players and there accomplishments...like John Elway and Joe Montana. From there you make your way to a display of the current teams, with each one having there own space with current helmet and a brief history.

Next up, the busts of the players themselves.  The room is an amazing thing to tour, with each year having its own place and the busts of the players who were inducted that year.  I couldve spent hours on end looking at them, but decided that there was more that needed to be witnessed.  From there, you make your way to an interactive area, that is set up to tell you about the history of important teams, players and moments in football history.  As you approach the displays, a brief description of what you are seeing is played for you.  In fact, throughout the whole Hall you have a chance to listen to different autoclips of what you are looking at, which is a neat way to learn more about the history.

The Hall is literally full of everything, with histories on the Super Bowl, World League, AFL, NFL Europe, arena football and even a section designated on the crazy fans seen throughout the NFL.  There is an interactive area where you get the chance to call great moments in football history, play trivia or go head to head in Madden football.  Of course, the Hall has the important souveniors and momentoes from the big moments, including autograph jerseys the players were wearing, the football they had, even the playbook from some of the Super Bowl winning teams.

Perhaps the most poignant moment for myself was seeing the display detailing how the NFL dealt with the crisis' going on in the World.  From WWII, Vietnam, the Korean War and Desert Storm, to a very powerful and moving display honoring the life of Pat Tillman.  As a guy who loves history, I'm also fascinated by the history of the wars and reading the names, reading the press clippings detailing how some men lost there life only days after playing in a football game was pretty unbelievable to me. 

If you ever get the chance to make the trip to Canton, I recommend that you do.  You'll be fascinated by what you see and what you learn about the history of pro football.  Like I said, I'm not the biggest football fan in the world, but it was something worth seeing.  We spent 3 hours there and in all honesty, we couldve stayed there all day and I wouldnt have complained a bit.  I got a new found respect for pro football, one who's history i will be reading more and more about