I finally got to see my footballing hero, Warren Moon’s dedication at the Canadian Football Hall Of Fame. Unlike most North American boys, I didn’t grow up watching football but I played, soccer, cricket and rugby. Only after moving to Canada some 20+ years ago did I fall madly in love with football. I’m first and foremost an NFL fan, but nothing beats heading out on a warm summer’s evening to watch two CFL teams do battle. The chants, the fans, the smell of spilled beer in the stands and food sizzling away on the grill during the tailgating gives the entire experience a sort of electric feeling. Don’t forget the bone crunching hits and creative plays on the field.
Downtown Hamilton is notorious for not having adequate parking spots, so I went expecting to have to search for parking. But since the Canadian Football Hall Of fame is situated adjacent to the City Hall, there’s a a wide selection of paid parking (about $2/hr) just off Jackson Street going west. I was greeted by the curator of the Hall of Fame, Meghan Sturgeon who was very welcoming and kind enough to give me a personal tour. I was always under the impression that the hall catered solely to the Canadian Football League and the players and coaches that went through it’s ranks. Meghan explained to me that this was not the case and that the Hall was open to all forms of football history and memorabilia from coast to coast (Canada) and this was even more clear as we continued with the tour and I saw pieces from the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) and Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL).
The tour itself lasted about 30 minutes, but if you’re doing this on your own and really want to take in every little bit of football history, I’d suggest you reserve about 40 minutes of your time. The highlight on this tour for me was the Hall of Fame, with all the busts of former football greats. And as I mentioned above, it gave me the opportunity to see the one dedicated to Warren Moon who to this day remains one of my favourite CFL players. It’s a neat game to see if you can identify the players who have been inducted or at least see if you know the names of these past heroes.
To be quite honest, if you’re not a fan of football you won’t find the Hall of Fame that interesting. However the true fan of the game will have an excellent time being surrounded by so much history and boyhood memories.
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum.
58 Jackson Street West
Hamilton, Ontario
L8P 1L4
Pricing:
Adult $7.00
Student $3.50
Senior $3.50
Family $16.00 (limit 2 adults 2 children)
Children under 5 are Free
Present a CFL, CIS or CJFL game ticket and receive $3.00 off an Adult & $1.00 off Senior and Youth admission (one ticket per discount)
The Canadian Football Hall of Fame was awarded to Hamilton in February 1962 after a successful presentation by Mayor Lloyd D. Jackson. The Parks Board made available a large, old residence near the stadium where the soon to be gathered football treasures could be temporarily housed. Ivan Miller, retired sports editor of The Spectator, was named the first curator.
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