FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 01/11/2019

WEEKLY “NOTES & NUGGETS” FROM THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME WHITE GLOVE TREATMENT: MORE ARTIFACTS FROM 2018 ARRIVE IN CANTON; FROM THE ARCHIVES: CLASS OF 2019 FINALISTS PLAYOFF STATS

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!”

WHITE GLOVE TREATMENT The Pro Football Hall of Fame is home to the world’s largest collection on pro football in the world. Each year, the collection grows as artifacts from milestone moments from the current NFL season arrive in Canton.

The Hall of Fame’s curatorial team put on the white gloves to handle the newest artifacts that arrived at the Hall this week.

• Shoes worn by kicker when he kicked a 63-yard on Oct. 7, 2018 which tied legendary kicker Tom Dempsey for the longest fourth quarter game-winning field goal.

• Referee jacket (pictured right) worn by Walt Coleman on Dec. 30, 2018 when he officiated the game between the and New York Jets. The contest marked the final regular season game of his 30-year NFL officiating career.

• Jersey and gloves worn by George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 30, 2018 in Week 17 when he broke the NFL record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season (1,377).

Interestingly, Kittle broke a record that had been set earlier that same day. The Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce caught a 25-yard pass in the fourth quarter against the Oakland Raiders to break the mark of 1,327 yards established by Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots in 2011. Kelce’s hold of the record lasted less than an hour when Kittle made his record grab on a 43-yard touchdown pass in the 49ers season finale against the .

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 , its 32 clubs and members of the media.

CLASS OF 2019 FINALISTS PLAYOFF STATS The Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee will meet on “Selection Saturday” (Feb. 2) in to elect the Class of 2019. There are 18 Finalists up for consideration – 15 Modern-Era, two contributors and one senior. Of the 18 Finalists, 14 were players who compiled impressive playoff stats. The group combined for 21 appearances.

View the complete list of playoff game-by-game stats for the Class of 2019 Finalists: https://profootballhof.box.com/s/d8e1yfb0ct2edtaenc81w4j1pzfgarop

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CONTACTS: Pete Fierle, Chief of Staff & Senior Vice President of Communications [email protected]; 330-588-3622

Rachel Gutting, Communications Coordinator [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