College Football Hall of Fame Celebrates One Year Anniversary

August 24,2015

“We knew that Downtown Atlanta offered the perfect setting for the new Hall, and the city, as well as people from all over the country, have embraced our new home in Atlanta as a major epicenter for college football,” said Archie Manning, the chairman of the NFF, which launched the Hall in 1951 and partnered with the city of Atlanta to raise the money and open the new Hall in 2014. “We knew we had something special in the proposal and planning stages, and it has been even better in reality.”

The attraction offers a total “Fan Experience” matching traditional, museum-quality memorabilia with interactive, multimedia exhibits that invite fans and visitors to engage with their favorite college football team or Hall of Famer. All 773 U.S. colleges and universities with football teams are represented on the three-story helmet wall, which greets visitors as they enter the Hall’s Quad. After fans register, they receive an RFID-enabled badge, and their school’s helmet lights up. As fans explore the rest of the building, the RFID badge continues to pull and display information about their school throughout their tour.

“We could not be more pleased with the reaction from fans who have traveled from all over the country to visit the Hall and its unprecedented, unique entertainment experience,” said College Football Hall of Fame President & CEO John W. Stephenson Jr., who spearheaded the local effort to bring the Hall to Atlanta. “The Hall has written a new chapter for the home of college football in America, and we are grateful for the support from the National Football Foundation and our founding partners and official sponsors, without whom this project would not be possible.”

The Hall, built at a cost of approximately $68.5 million, measures 94,256 square feet, including 50,000 square feet of exhibit space and a 45-yard indoor football field. The Hall has hosted events, ranging from 150 to 3,500 guests. The Hall of Fame’s founding partners include AT&T, Chick-fil-A, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Coca-Cola and Kia. The Hall’s official sponsors are the Atlanta Falcons and The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Brasfield & Gorrie, Georgia Pacific, Georgia Power, The Home Depot, Invest Atlanta, Omni Hotels & Resorts, Piedmont Healthcare, Regions Bank, Southwest Airlines, Sporturf, Under Armour and UPS.

“The Hall has attracted people from all over the country, and it has been a wonderful showcase for our sport,” said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. “The events at the Hall have been off the charts, and we are extremely pleased with year one, which provides us a lot of momentum for year two. We have learned a lot, and we are excited to capitalize on the accomplishments of the past year in the coming months.”