FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 03/08/2019
WEEKLY “NOTES & NUGGETS” FROM THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME MIDLAND TO OPEN TIM McGRAW CONCERT; HALL OF FAME PRESIDENT’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL RECORD FALLS AFTER 44 YEARS; CLASS OF 2019 SITE VISITS; HALL OFFERS AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE GUIDED TOURS; FROM THE ARCHIVES: MOST HALL OF FAMERS ON ONE SIDE OF THE BALL FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
CANTON, OHIO – The following is a sampling of events, happenings and notes that highlight how the Pro Football Hall of Fame serves its important mission to “Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values & Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE!”
MIDLAND TO OPEN CONCERT ON AUG. 9 Grammy-nominated country group Midland will open for music superstar Tim McGraw when he returns to Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium on Friday, Aug. 9. Tickets for the concert, starting at $49, went on sale this morning and can be purchased at www.ProFootballHOF.com/tickets.
Hailing from Dripping Springs, Texas lead vocalist Mark Wystrach fronts Midland’s rich sound that is rounded out with lead guitarist Jess Carson and bass player Cameron Duddy. Rooted in tradition in both sound and style, the trio initially garnered attention playing clubs in the region. Their critically-acclaimed freshman album, ON THE ROCKS (Big Machine Records), features 13 tracks with songwriting credits from each member alongside hitmakers Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne. Launching to rave reviews from notable outlets such as the Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stone Country, ON THE ROCKS was declared “the year’s best Country album” by Washington Post. The Dann-Huff produced album earned the No. 1 position on Billboard’s Top Country Album Sales chart upon release.
Their debut No. 1 single “Drinkin’ Problem,” which offers an intentional nod to Country music reminiscent of the 1970s and 80s, earned the band their first GRAMMY® Awards nominations for Best Country Song and Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Midland was also named New Vocal Group of the Year at the 2018 ACM Awards and their current single “Burn Out” is Top 10 at Country
Radio In 2018, Country Radio Broadcasters voted the trio as one of the esteemed 2018 CRS New Faces. More about the group can be found at: MidlandOfficial.com.
DAVID BAKER’S REBOUND RECORD BROKEN Pro Football Hall of Fame President & CEO David Baker was a star basketball player for the University of California Irvine Anteaters in the 1970s. He set the school’s record with 926 career rebounds, a mark that lasted 44 years before being broken last Saturday (March 2). With three minutes remaining in UC Irvine’s victory over UC Riverside, senior forward Jonathan Galloway pulled down a rebound to eclipse the Anteaters record set by Baker.
Photo: Baker during his collegiate basketball career. Interestingly he wore number 44, which matched the years he held the school’s career rebound record.
DAVID BAKER INTERVIEW. Video may be downloaded and used for editorial use only. Credit: “Pro Football Hall of Fame Productions.”
• 0:00 – What he learned from competing in basketball • 1:18 – Memories from when he set the school career rebound record • 2:12 – Reflection on lessons learned from his coaches including UC Irvine’s Tim Tift
https://profootballhof.app.box.com/s/lms8tk2ja4zf24gv3vs8ladfdu2f9qz4.
CLASS OF 2019 SITE VISITS Class of 2019 Enshrinees TY LAW and JOHNNY ROBINSON visited Canton this week in preparation for the Aug. 3 Enshrinement Ceremony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. They toured the Hall of Fame and met with the Hall of Fame team to plan for the upcoming 2019 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week Powered by Johnson Controls.
Photo: @ProFootballHOF’s tweet featuring Law, and Robinson and his family posing in front of the Class of 2019 banner on the side of the Hall of Fame.
Newly elected Hall of Famers KEVIN MAWAE and ED REED will visit the Hall next week.
AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE GUIDED TOURS The Pro Football Hall of Fame offers American Sign Language (ASL) enhanced Insider Tours on the first and third Saturday of each month.
Insider Tours are led by the Hall’s highly knowledgeable docents to enhance the guest experience at the Hall of Fame. The hour-long guided tour provides guests with interesting tidbits behind the artifacts and exhibits that cannot be learned otherwise. Insider Tours begin at 11 a.m. and are an additional $10 per person or $8 for museum members.
An ASL interpreter from TRIAD Deaf Services, Inc., a local non-profit offering services to the deaf community, will accompany the Hall’s docents on the designated Insider Tours to interpret for deaf or hard of hearing individuals.
More information about dates and planning a visit to the Hall of Fame can be found at: https://www.profootballhof.com/visit/museum-tours/
FROM THE RALPH WILSON, JR. PRO FOOTBALL RESEARCH & PRESERVATION CENTER: The Ralph Wilson, Jr. Pro Football Research & Preservation Center is home to the world’s largest collection on football including a personal legacy archive on every player who has competed in the NFL since its founding in 1920. Contained inside the archives are more than 40 million pages of documents and six million photographic images.
Staff help a variety of patrons from fans, researchers, authors, and students as well as serving as a resource of information to the National Football League, its 32 clubs and members of the media.
MOST HALL OF FAMERS ON ONE SIDE OF THE BALL Class of 2019 enshrinee JOHNNY ROBINSON is the sixth Hall of Famer to play on the defensive side of the ball for the 1969 Kansas City Chiefs. That is tied for the most Hall of Famers to play on one side of the ball for one team during a championship season.
View the complete list: https://profootballhof.box.com/s/x61moafm3bbeojejvu3rp7cmd07vejvy
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CONTACTS: Pete Fierle, Chief of Staff & Senior Vice President of Communications [email protected]; 330-588-3622
Rachel Gutting, Director of Communications & Strategic Initiatives [email protected]; 330-588-3671
ABOUT THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME Located in Canton, Ohio, the birthplace of the National Football League, the Pro Football Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit institution with the Mission to Honor the Heroes of the Game, Preserve its History, Promote its Values, & Celebrate Excellence EVERYWHERE.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. AAM accreditation is national recognition for the museum’s commitment to excellence and the highest professional standards of museum operation and public service.
Hundreds of thousands of fans from across the globe travel to Canton annually to experience “The Most Inspiring Place on Earth!” that chronicles America’s most popular sport. The Pro Football Hall of Fame, also voted Top Tourist Attraction in Ohio, was named the Best Attraction for Sports Fans in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice travel award contest.
Construction on Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village, an $889 million development project that includes 10 main components, is under way in Canton to transform the Hall of Fame’s campus.
@ProFootballHOF