NFL Hall of Fame Origin
... was held at Hay's Jordan and HUpmobile Showrooom. Jim Thorpe was the League's first president. Latrobe, Green Bay, Los Angeles, and Detroit all wanted to be the home of the football hall of fame, but Canton was determined. Beginning in the early 1960's, the citizens of Canton launched campaign to build the football hall of fame in their city. German Swanson sportswriter for the Canton Respository is credited as the first person to champion the people's idea that the hall be in Canton. Harold Sauerbrei manager of the Clevland Browns plegded his full support to the drive. With the Brown's manager behind their movement Swanson ran a freature story in the Repository. The headline stated "Pro Football Needs a Hall of Fame....and Logical Site Is Here. " After reading the Article, football loving citizens of Canton lost no time moving on the issue. Civic groups, businesses, indux...