Pro Football Hall of Fame Game
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game is an annual National Football League (NFL) exhibition game that is held the weekend of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's induction ceremonies. The game is played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, which is part of Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village and is located adjacent to the Hall of Fame building in Canton, Ohio.[1]
 Recent and upcoming games | |
| 2019 season | |
|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons 10 Denver Broncos 14 | |
| 2020 season | |
| Canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic |
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, if a particularly notable player will be entering the Hall of Fame that year, a team they were strongly associated with may be selected to play in the game to help maximize attendance and publicity of the game itself. From 1971 to 2010, the opponents for each game usually included one AFC team and one NFC team. In 2009, as recognition of the 50th anniversary of the American Football League, the game paired two AFC teams who were part of the "original eight" franchises of the AFL, the Tennessee Titans (dressed as their previous incarnation, the Houston Oilers) and the Buffalo Bills, whose owner, Ralph Wilson, was inducted into the Hall that year. An all-NFC matchup was scheduled for 2011,[2] but it was canceled due to the 2011 NFL lockout; the following year, another intra-conference matchup of two NFC teams took its place. From 2011 onward, each team selected to play in the game has had at least one prominent alumnus being inducted into the Hall that year.
Because this game and the Hall of Fame's induction ceremonies are scheduled on the weekend before the league's regular four-week exhibition season begins, both teams end up playing five exhibition games instead of the normal four, and unlike the Canadian Football League (which plays its two-game exhibition season over three weeks), the league does not remove one.
The last four expansion teams to have been added to the league each played in the Hall of Fame Game as their first game. In 1995, expansion clubs Jacksonville and Carolina played each other, and in 2002, Houston was one of the participants. When the Cleveland Browns returned to the league with a rebooted roster in 1999, they too played in the Hall of Fame Game.
The Baltimore Ravens, officially established in 1996, did not play in the Hall of Fame Game until 2018. With the Ravens' participation in the 2018 game, all 32 current NFL teams have now played in the Hall of Fame game at least once.
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 2002, it was not uncommon for the game to be played in July. Since 2002, 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.
The 2011 game was originally scheduled between the St. Louis Rams and the Chicago Bears, but the game was canceled due to 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 2016 edition, which was scheduled to be played between the Green Bay Packers and the Indianapolis Colts, was canceled at the last minute due to unsafe playing conditions. Mike Silver of NFL.com reported that on the morning of game day, it was discovered the logos at midfield and the end zones had been painted using paint which was not intended for use on the newly installed FieldTurf. Subsequently, the paint had not fully dried, and officials heated the field to speed up the drying process, causing the turf's rubber to melt; the affected areas were described as being slick and "like cement," making it impossible to get decent footing. Stadium officials attempted to address this by applying paint thinner to the turf, but a Packers employee noticed a label warning that this substance could result in burns when exposed to skin, and alerted them to the discovery.
In deciding to cancel the game, the league and the Players Association cited safety concerns.[3][4][5] Both teams were told at 6:40 p.m., an hour and 20 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.[6]
In 2017, the Hall of Fame Game was moved to Thursday night, making it the first event of the Hall of Fame weekend. This change has been maintained since.[7][8]
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,[9] was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]
Television and radio
Unlike the majority of NFL preseason games, which air on local TV stations, the Hall of Fame Game airs nationwide. From 1999 to 2005, the game was held on Monday night, televised as part of ABC's Monday Night Football package. It had previously been held typically on Saturday afternoons, except from 1963 to 1965 on Sunday afternoons, televised as part of ABC's Wide World of Sports package (still using the MNF crew). In 1998, the game was put in the MNF package, and played on a Saturday night, which served as a test run for the move to Monday night.
Since 2006, the game has largely aired on NBC as part of the Sunday Night Football package (which replaced MNF as the NFL's flagship primetime broadcast that season), except in 2007 (due to NBC planning to air the China Bowl exhibition game in Beijing, which was postponed and ultimately cancelled), and in all Summer Olympics years (2008, 2012, 2016, 2021) due to NBC's coverage of the Games. In these cases, the game has been passed to one of the NFL's cable partners, such as NFL Network (under Thursday Night Football), and more recently ESPN (under the current iteration of Monday Night Football).
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 the St. Louis Rams versus the Chicago Bears, but was canceled due to the NFL lockout.
- The 2016 game was scheduled to be the Green Bay Packers versus the Indianapolis Colts, but was canceled due to poor field conditions.
- The 2020 game was scheduled to be the Dallas Cowboys versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers were originally scheduled to play each other in the 2020 game, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Appearances
| Team | Games | W | L | T | PCT | Last appearance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | 2015 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | .500 | 2017 |
| Washington Football Team/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 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 1999 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 2012 |
| Arizona/St. Louis Cardinals | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | .300 | 2017 |
| 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 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 2006 |
| 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 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 2019 |
| Denver Broncos | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 | 2019 |
| Tennessee Titans/Houston Oilers | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 2009 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 | 2010 |
| New York Jets | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 1992 |
| 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 |
| Carolina Panthers | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1995 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 2018 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 1995 |
| Houston Texans | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 2002 |
- Most appearances – 6: Pittsburgh Steelers (1963, 1964, 1983, 1998, 2007, and 2015) and Dallas Cowboys (1968, 1979, 1999, 2010, 2013, and 2017); The Cowboys and Steelers were scheduled to play each other in the 2020 game which was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the two teams are already scheduled to play each other in the 2021 game. Both teams will be making their 7th appearance.
- Fewest appearances – 1: Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers (played each other in 1995, which was both teams' debut season); Houston Texans (2002); Baltimore Ravens (2018); Every current team has appeared at least once. Since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, every expansion team has opened its first pre-season with a Hall of Fame Game, with the exception of the 1996 Ravens, who were not a true expansion team. This includes the 1999 Cleveland Browns who were effectively, though not nominally, an expansion team.
- Most wins – 5: Washington Redskins (1965, 1975, 1989, 2004, and 2008)
- Longest active drought without Hall of Fame Game appearance – 27 seasons: Detroit Lions (last appearance – 1991); 26 seasons: New York Jets (last appearance – 1992); 24 seasons: Los Angeles Chargers (last appearance – 1994); 23 seasons: Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars (last and only appearance – 1995)
References
- "Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village".
- "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). "Poor field conditions force cancellation of 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. 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". ESPN.com. December 28, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- "What we learned from Broncos-Falcons in HOF Game". NFL.com. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- Kilgore, Adam. "After 256 games and a few close calls, the NFL's pandemic regular season comes to an end". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- Smith, Michael David (June 25, 2020). "Hall of Fame Game canceled". ProFootballTalk.
- 2006 NFL Record and Fact Book. 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.