National High School Football Hall of Fame Foundation plans new facility in Canton

Posted by Admin January 17, 2025 Football

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CANTON ‒ The National High School Football Hall of Fame Foundation is putting down roots in Canton, with plans to open a 20,000-square-foot facility downtown.

Lamont Robinson, the founder and CEO of the foundation, said the rich football history in the city makes Canton a perfect location for the facility. Canton is also home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Black College Football Hall of Fame.

“(Many) of the players that are in the NFL played (in) high school, so it just made sense to have a facility to be able to tell the history,” Robinson said. “(We think) it’s going to bring 100,000 unique visitors to Canton.”

Tonja Marshall, the chief marketing officer at Visit Canton, said the new building will be a great addition to the downtown Canton scene.

“Welcoming new experiences to complement and add to our area’s destination appeal is a positive in our book,” she said.

The foundation plans to announce additional details about its plans at a news conference Jan. 22 when it also unveils 28 new inductees to its hall of fame, which already includes names such as Jim Brown, Paul Brown, Ted Ginn Sr., Archie Griffin, Bernie Kosar, Kevin Mack, Archie Manning, Cooper Manning, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Thom McDaniels, Marion Motley and Chris Spielman.

Robinson said the facility, which will be located at 332 Second St. NW, is aiming to have a soft opening this summer before being fully open to the public in 2026.

“We want the people of Canton to have a say so and be part of this,” he said. “If it wasn’t for the city of Canton, this wouldn’t be what it is.”

New facility to honor players, coaches and local history

Robinson said the facility will be separated to honor athletes by the position they played, as well as a room to honor coaches.

“Coaches don’t really get a lot of good publicity or notoriety in this, but if it wasn’t for the coaches, you wouldn’t have these great players,” he said.

There will also be a section dedicated to telling the history of the rivalry between Canton and Massillon.

“The story’s been told, but to really see it, highly interactive, virtual reality, … I think that exhibit in that room is going to be great,” he said.

Robinson said he’s looking forward to seeing the new facility come together.

“We want to give this area something that it needs,” he said. “This is our third year, and from the mayor to the county to the city, (everyone’s) just been very supportive.”