The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coaches, officials, franchise owners, and front-office personnel, almost all of whom made their primary contributions to the game in the National Football League (NFL). However, the Hall of Fame has no official affiliation with the NFL.
As of 2026, there are a total of 387 members of the Hall of Fame. Between four and nine new inductees are normally enshrined every year. For the 2020 class, a 20-person group consisting of five modern-era players and an additional 15 members, known as the "Centennial Slate", were elected to the Hall of Fame to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the NFL.
The Chicago Bears have the most inductees, with 32 (41, including players with minor portion of their career with team). Canton is often used as shorthand or metonym for the Hall of Fame.
The city of Canton, Ohio, lobbied the NFL to have the Hall of Fame built in Canton, citing three reasons. First, the NFL was founded in Canton on September 17, 1920, (at that time it was known as the American Professional Football Association). Second, the defunct Canton Bulldogs were a successful pro football team and the NFL's first repeat champion (in 1922 and 1923). Third, the Canton community held a fundraising effort that garnered nearly $400,000 (equivalent to $3,167,000 in 2024) to get the Hall of Fame built. NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle also backed the city's pitch.
Four other cities also made bids: Detroit, Michigan; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Latrobe, Pennsylvania; and Los Angeles, California. Detroit offered the Cobo Hall site while Los Angeles proposed placing the Hall of Fame in Exposition Park. Whereas the other cities had NFL teams and Canton was the league's birthplace, Latrobe promoted itself as being where John Brallier played as the first openly professional football player. A committee led by Edwin J. Anderson, Paul Brown, and George Halas reviewed each presentation before the owners voted to award the rights to Canton.
Groundbreaking for the building was held on August 11, 1962, and the Hall of Fame was opened to the public on September 7, 1963.
Designed by the winner of an architecture contest, the original building contained just two rooms and 19,000 square feet (1,800 m2) of interior space. In April 1970, ground was broken for the first of many expansions. This first expansion cost $620,000, and was completed on May 10, 1971. The size was increased to 34,000 square feet (3,200 m2) by adding another room. The pro shop opened with this expansion. This was also an important milestone for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, as yearly attendance passed the 200,000 mark for the first time. This was at least in some part due to the increase in popularity of professional football caused by the advent of the American Football League and its success in the final two AFL-NFL World Championship games.
In November 1977, work began on another expansion project, costing $1,200,000. It was completed in November 1978, enlarging the gift shop and research library, while doubling the size of the theater. The total size of the hall was now 50,500 square feet (4,690 m2), more than 2.5 times the original size.
The building remained largely unchanged until July 1993. The Hall then announced yet another expansion, costing $9,200,000, and adding a fifth room. This expansion was completed on October 1, 1995, and increased the building's size to 82,307 square feet (7,647 m2). The most notable addition was the GameDay Stadium, which shows an NFL Films production on a 20-by-42-foot (6.1 m × 12.8 m) Cinemascope screen.
In 2013, the Hall of Fame completed its largest expansion and renovation to date; the total size of the hall is now 118,000 square feet (11,000 m2).
The NFL Hall of Fame Village is a multi-phase, mixed-use development located in Canton, Ohio, designed to enhance the experience of visitors to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Groundbreaking for the project began in 2016, with the vision of creating a premier destination for football fans and the wider community, combining entertainment, retail, residential, and hospitality spaces. The development is located adjacent to the Hall of Fame itself and aims to celebrate the history of the National Football League while promoting the future of the sport.
The NFL Hall of Fame Village is centered around the Hall of Fame's campus, and its first phase includes a variety of attractions, such as an interactive museum, a large sports and entertainment complex, and a hotel. The village's centerpiece is the Hall of Fame Resort & Entertainment Company, which oversees the development and operation of the various amenities.
Future phases of the development are planned to include more sports venues, a sports medicine facility, an expanded convention center, and residential housing. Additionally, a significant feature of the project is the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, which serves as the home of the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game and other sporting events
In addition to drawing fans and visitors, the NFL Hall of Fame Village is also envisioned as a hub for sports technology, innovation, and education, providing a platform for collaboration among companies and organizations in the sports industry. The ongoing development is expected to create a lasting economic impact on Canton and the surrounding region.
As of 2026 the development remained unfinished.
Executive directors or presidents
Dick McCann (April 4, 1962 – November 5, 1967)
Dick Gallagher (April 1968 – December 31, 1975)