Touring the College Football Hall of Fame
It’s not your typical sports hall of fame. It may not remind anyone of baseball’s shrine in Cooperstown, N.Y., pro football’s in Canton, Ohio, basketball’s in Springfield, Mass., or college football’s previous shrine in South Bend, Ind.
This one doesn’t have the previously obligatory bronze plaques or busts. And historical artifacts, while present, share the stage with an array of interactive, high-tech sources of information and entertainment.
The College Football Hall of Fame and Chick-fil-A Fan Experience in downtown Atlanta deliberately broke the mold of other sports halls of fames, a change driven in part by lagging attendance at several of those attractions.
The new model may test the expectations of traditionalists, but seeks to appeal to a broader audience.
“The theme of the building is: Let’s celebrate the sport initially through your school because that’s what your passion is, then let’s go have a bunch of fun around the sport, then let’s go to the Hall of Fame (room) and see the best who ever played and coached the game,” said John Stephenson, the College Football Hall of Fame’s president and CEO.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution tours the 94,256-square-foot, three-story attraction, from a massive wall of football helmets in the lobby to the inscribed names of Hall of Famers on the top level.
About the Author
Tim Tucker, a long-time AJC sports reporter, often writes about the business side of the games. He also had stints as the AJC's Braves beat writer, UGA beat writer, sports notes columnist and executive sports editor. He was deputy managing editor of America's first all-sports newspaper, The National Sports Daily.
