I pretty much stopped going to NFL games after my 2013 season-long road trip, but there was one stadium that I still had on my list: Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. The league holds the first pre-season game of the year there and I decided to visit this year because flights to Cleveland were cheap and I could add a Guardians game the following night. So I flew to Hopkins via Reagan, rented a car, and drove to Canton, staying in a hotel a couple of miles north of the stadium. Rather than drive and deal with parking hassles (which weren't that bad as you could park on somebody's lawn for $10), I took a rideshare, a decision I would later regret.
When I visited the Hall of Fame in 2013 NFL, there wasn't much else around it. In the intervening decade, however, an entertainment village has been constructed around the Hall, making the area a destination for more than just football fans. It includes a Ferris wheel (above), a zipline ride, and several other attractions and food trucks. A couple of bars are right there including the Brew Kettle (which has TopGolf bays where you can play a variety of virtual spots) and Don Shula's American Kitchen.
For the game, two different areas were set up: one with a Houston theme, the other for Chicago as these were the two teams playing.
The entire area was filled with fans roaming about, and I noticed that anmany other teams were represented with jerseys and hats. I decided to take a tally and by the end of the game, only Arizona and Jacksonville were not spotted. This pair of fans had a message of compassion and kindness, unexpected for two fierce rivals.
A giant inflatable helmet is always a great thing to see.
The Goodyear Blimp was also on hand for the proceedings. The company is based in nearby Akron, so they didn't have far to fly on this day.
The picture below is from outside the stadium looking southeast and gives you an idea of how it is set up, much more like a CFL venue with two separate stands and limited seats in the end zone. Capacity is 23,000 and I was surprised that attendance was only 17,258, possibly due to overpriced tickets and the fact that neither team would play their starters, despite first overall pick Caleb Williams being on the Bears.
The venue first opened in 1938 and was called Fawcett Stadium until 2015, when it was renamed for the Saints owner who donated $10 million towards renovations. Much of the original stadium was demolished and rebuilt in 2015-16. It has been used for high school games over the years and most recently, several USFL contests were held here.
There is a statue of Benson along the west concourse, note the trivia question above.
The south stand has two levels, with the press box and suites as well. The north stand is just one level, but from the upper rows, you can look back over the Hall of Fame and its unique roof.
The lower level of seats on the South side is covered by the upper bowl, a feature that came in handy later in the evening.
As you walk around, you can get very close to the field. During the game, I stood in one end zone and the Bears scored a touchdown just a few feet in front of me, an incredible experience that you really can't see without a significant financial outlay in the regular season.
There were several party areas and many sponsors were involved. But unlike the Super Bowl, these people didn't sit with the regular fans, making it a better atmosphere than the championship game. At least the one I attended.
Tickets were crazily overpriced at the official site, with the cheapest going for $90 when I checked. Fortunately, the secondary market was more reasonable, and I picked up a pair for $16 total (singles were $35 in an odd pricing situation), hoping to sell the other. But they turned out to be PDF tickets and I couldn't separate them, so I just had an open seat beside me.
Seven new members were inducted this year (Freeney, Gradishar, Hester, Johnson, McMichael, Peppers, Willis) and they were introduced before the game. McMichael is suffering from ALS and his wife Misty walked on the field in his place. The number of football players who end up with ALS is not insignificant (Steve Gleason and O.J. Brigance are two others who come to mind) and there is an obvious connection between repetitive head trauma and the disease. Something to consider when signing your kid up for football.
Rain was in the forecast, but early on it was a perfect evening. I am glad I finally got here to knock off one of my bucket list venues. The game was a secondary attraction, but they did play, at least for part of the time.
The Game
The highlight of the evening's action was seeing the new kickoff rules. That is the setup below, where the kicking team is at the opposition 40, the receiving team at their 35, and the kicker at his 35. Not much happened on any of the returns, there was one penalty and one touchback.
There's Bears kicker Cairo Santos getting the season underway. I guess technically he is a first teamer, though officially not a starter.
Anyway, Houston started QB Davis Mills and he led them on a nearly perfect drive, covering 74 yards in 13 plays that took 6:21 and culminated in a 9-yard pass to Teagan Quitoriano. The Bears could not do much with Tyson Bagent taking snaps and punted, and the Texans then took another 6:45 off the clock while marching 74 yards, only to come away with three points.
Brett Rypien (#11 above) took over the play-calling duties for Chicago and got the Bears moving, finishing with a 20-yard TD pass to Colin Johnson. After both teams punted, Case Keenum came on for Houston and marched them 70 yards with a 4-yard pass to Cam Akers making it 17-7. But Rypien was not done and ran the two-minute drill to perfection, helped by Johnson making a spectacular sideline catch. Two plays later, Rypien connected on a 22-yard pass to Tommy Sweeney and the Bears were down just three at the half.
They began the third quarter with the ball and Rypien got one more series, moving the team quickly down and connecting with Johnson for their second touchdown and a 21-17 lead. After that, both teams put in scrub QBs (that's Tim Boyle for Houston above, Austin Reed was the Bears QB for one possession) and then the rain started. It was announced as severe weather as lightning was in the area, so fans went under cover while players ran for the locker rooms. And they never came back. After about an hour, the game was called, saving us from the indignity of watching third-stringers play on a sopping field. It wasn't a bad game until then and both teams had some good drives, but I don't think this was a Super Bowl preview.
Notes
After the game, I went to Brew Kettle to have a quick beer and find a rideshare back. Of course, everybody else was doing the same and prices were crazy. There is another bar just on the other side of the highway called Jerzee's Sports Grille that is open until 2:30 and I found Eric and Derek who were willing to walk over with me. But the path was blocked by construction so we decided against that. In the end, they were staying in the same hotel complex and allowed me to jump in their Uber back. Thanks guys! As I got out, the driver handed me an umbrella, saying I would need it for the weekend. So in the end, maybe leaving my car at the hotel was a good idea!
I was also quite lucky with my flights, getting window seats for both and going over several stadiums on the way. Below is Camden Yards, where I had been just three days prior for a Blue Jays doubleheader. You can see the warehouse, the Hilton, and even Pickles Pub if you know where to look.
A few seconds later and Progressive Field came into view; I saw the Guardians beat the Orioles the following night. It is amazing how different it looks from the air.
Finally, Cleveland Browns Stadium, which is no longer called FirstEnergy Stadium. I am taking donations to call it SportsRoadTrips Stadium (after all, Pitbull now has a stadium named after himself).
As I have said before, always try to get a window seat and use your map app to have an idea of where you are and you might get some similar shots. I love seeing stadiums on the ground, but it's more fascinating to see them from the air.
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