Pro Football Hall of Fame Game
Stadium | Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium |
---|---|
Location | Canton, Ohio, U.S. |
First played | 1962 |
2023 season | |
New York Jets 16 Cleveland Browns 21 | |
2024 season | |
Houston Texans vs Chicago Bears |
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game is an annual National Football League (NFL) preseason exhibition game in Canton, Ohio, held the weekend of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's induction ceremonies. The game is played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, part of Hall of Fame Village and located adjacent to the Hall of Fame building.[1] The first game was played in 1962, when ground was broken for the Hall of Fame.[2][3]
Team selection
The two teams that play in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game are typically selected by the league in advance of the remainder of the preseason schedule. The participants are usually announced around the time that the new Hall of Fame members are announced, which coincides with Super Bowl week. Often, when a particularly notable player will be entering the Hall of Fame that year, a team with which he had been strongly associated may be selected to play in the game to help maximize attendance and publicity of the game itself.
From
Since the Hall of Fame Game and the Hall of Fame induction ceremony are scheduled for the weekend before the normal NFL preseason season starts, both teams end up playing an additional exhibition game compared to the remaining teams in the league (formerly four, three as of 2021).
The last four
The Baltimore Ravens, officially established in 1996 as a result of the Browns' relocation, did not play in the Hall of Fame Game until 2018. With the Ravens' participation, all 32 current NFL teams have at least one appearance.
Scheduling
Prior to the AFL–NFL merger, the Hall of Fame Game was played in August or September, in some cases at the end of the preseason. In 1970, it was moved to the beginning of the preseason. Prior to 2001, it was not uncommon for the game to be played in July. Since 2001, when the league permanently moved the start of the season to the weekend after Labor Day, the game has always been played in early August. In 2002, the Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony was moved from the steps of the museum to the football stadium. This created a tight schedule between the ceremony and the game.
The 2011 game was originally scheduled between the St. Louis Rams and the Chicago Bears, but the game was canceled by an ongoing labor dispute that had disrupted nearly all league activity during the 2011 offseason. The two clubs had set a deadline of July 22 to ratify a resolution in enough time to prepare for the game: the league and players did not ratify the agreement until July 25, forcing cancellation of the game.
The
Both teams were told at 6:40 p.m. EDT, eighty minutes before kickoff, that the game was going to be canceled. However, fans in the stadium only learned of the pending cancellation via social media, and no official announcement was made until just before the scheduled 8 p.m. kickoff, which was greeted by boos and jeering.[8]
The next year, in 2017, the game was moved to Thursday night, making it the first event of the Hall of Fame weekend:[9][10] the game was moved prior to the ceremony to prevent a repeat of the 2016 incident, and has been maintained since. Immediately following the game, the stage and seating area for the Hall of Fame ceremony are erected in the stadium.
The game in 2020, which was scheduled to be played between the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as all other preseason games, was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic. The matchup was held over for the 2021 game.[11][12]
Television and radio
Unlike the majority of NFL preseason games, which air on local television stations, the Hall of Fame Game airs nationwide. From
Since
2010s
- 2010 (NBC) Andrea Kramer
- 2012 (NFL Network) Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock, Stacey Dales
- 2013 (NBC) Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya
- 2014 (NBC) Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya
- 2015 (NBC) Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Paul Burmeister
- 2017 (NBC) Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Tony Dungy (4th quarter only), Michele Tafoya
- 2018 (NBC) Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya
- 2019 (NBC) Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Tony Dungy (2nd half only), Michele Tafoya
2020s
- 2021 (Fox) Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews, and Tom Rinaldi
- 2022 (NBC) Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, and Melissa Stark
- 2023 (NBC) Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, and Melissa Stark
Game history
- Notes
- ^ The 1980 game was called with 5:29 remaining in the fourth quarter due to severe lightning.
- ^ The 2003 game was called with 5:49 remaining in the third quarter due to severe lightning.
- ^ The 2011 game was scheduled to be between the St. Louis Rams and the Chicago Bears, but was canceled due to the NFL lockout.
- ^ The 2016 game was scheduled to be between the Green Bay Packers and the Indianapolis Colts, but was canceled due to poor field conditions.
- ^ The 2020 game was scheduled to be between the Dallas Cowboys versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Appearances
Team | Games | W | L | T | PCT | Last appearance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pittsburgh Steelers | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | .571 | 2021 |
Dallas Cowboys | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | .429 | 2021 |
Cleveland Browns | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | 2023 |
Washington Redskins | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 2008 |
Chicago Bears | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | .800 | 2018 |
New York Giants | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | .700 | 2014 |
New Orleans Saints | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 2012 |
Arizona/St. Louis Cardinals | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | .300 | 2017 |
Atlanta Falcons | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 2019 |
Denver Broncos | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 2019 |
Minnesota Vikings | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | .750 | 2015 |
Philadelphia Eagles | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | 2006 |
Indianapolis/Baltimore Colts | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | 2008 |
Green Bay Packers | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .375 | 2003 |
Miami Dolphins | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 2013 |
Buffalo Bills | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 2014 |
Las Vegas/Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 2022 |
New England Patriots | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 2000 |
San Francisco 49ers | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 2000 |
Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 2001 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 2003 |
Detroit Lions | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 1991 |
Tennessee Titans/Houston Oilers | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 2009 |
Cincinnati Bengals | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 2010 |
New York Jets | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 2023 |
Seattle Seahawks | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 1997 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 1998 |
Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .250 | 1994 |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .000 | 2022 |
Carolina Panthers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1995 |
Baltimore Ravens | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 2018 |
Houston Texans | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 2002 |
- Most appearances
- 7 – Dallas Cowboys (1968, 1979, 1999, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2021)
- 7 – Pittsburgh Steelers (1963, 1964, 1983, 1998, 2007, 2015, and 2021)
- Fewest appearances
- 1 – Baltimore Ravens (2018)
- 1 – Carolina Panthers (1995)
- Most wins
- 5 – Washington Redskins/Commanders (1965, 1975, 1989, 2004, 2008)
- Longest active streak without Hall of Fame Game appearance
- 32 seasons – Detroit Lions (last appearance in 1991)
- 29 seasons – San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers (1994)
- 28 seasons – Carolina Panthers (1995)
References
- ^ "Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company Announces New Brand and Identity for Its Sports & Entertainment Destination Resort" (Press release). July 2, 2020.
- ^ "Hall of Fame ceremonies held at Canton". Youngstown Vindicator. (Ohio). Associated Press. August 11, 1962. p. 8.
- ^ a b "Cards tie Giants, 21-21, in Hall of Fame Game". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. August 12, 1962. p. 6.
- ^ "Individual Tickets & Festival Fan Packages". Profootballhof.com. Archived from the original on September 10, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2012.
- ^ Silver, Mike (August 4, 2016). "Hall of Fame Game cancellation: NFL made the right decision". NFL.com.
- ^ Demovsky, Rob (August 7, 2016). "Field conditions force cancellation of preseason Hall of Fame Game". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
- ^ "Hall of Fame Game fiasco: How the wrong paint, melted rubber, and caustic paint thinner nixed Packers-Colts". Acme Packing Company (SBNation). Vox Media. August 9, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ^ Doyel, Gregg (August 7, 2016). "Doyel: NFL fans deserve better". The Indianapolis Star.
- ^ "Hall of Fame game moved to Thursday night to start preseason". ESPN.com. December 28, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ "What we learned from Broncos-Falcons in HOF Game". NFL.com. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ^ Smith, Michael David (June 25, 2020). "Hall of Fame Game canceled". ProFootballTalk.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ Staff, S. V. G. (August 13, 2021). "Ratings Roundup: NBC Receives Least Watched Olympics in Primetime; NFL Hall of Fame Game Becomes Most-Watched Preseason Bout in Four Years". Sports Video Group. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- 2006 NFL Record and Fact Book. July 25, 2006. p. 401. ISBN 1-933405-32-5.
- "AFC-NFC Hall of Fame Game". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on September 4, 2006. Retrieved September 8, 2006.