CANTON — Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium was engulfed in a sea of blue, red and gold as the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement kicked off.
The Saturday, Aug. 8, event celebrated the Class of 2026, which featured Drew Brees, Roger Craig, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri..
While several notable former NFL stars such Andrew Luck, Greg Olsen and Jimmy Graham could be seen along with the usual array of returning Hall of Famers, the stadium was filled with fans and people impacted by the Class of 2026.
Fans travel from all over, including from Arizona to see Larry Fitzgerald
Jose Trejo, of Phoenix, is just one of many who came out Saturday. Along with his friend Jose Castilo, Trejo flew in on Aug. 5, and was “pleasantly surprised” by all the other Cardinals fans that also made the journey to see Fitzgerald.
To Trejo, Fitzgerald was more than just an athlete.
“It’s emotional. It’s very emotional because of everything that he endured when he could have just cut ties and just went somewhere else and got his championship ring. He didn’t do that,” Trejo said. “He actually tried to restructure his contract, to keep Anquan (Boldin) here, to make another run back in ’09 and it just didn’t work out. But loyalty and humbleness, that’s what he’s all about.”
‘Cat Daddy’ comes to Canton
That sentiment can be felt across fanbases. Coming from Shelby, North Carolina, was Dee-Jay, a die-hard Carolina Panthers fan who even named his two sons after Kuechly and Cam Newton.
“I’ve met Luke so many times, and he’s genuine. At training camp he would go down a line and sign everybody’s autograph,” Dee-Jay said.
Dee-Jay is also a member of Pro Football’s Ultimate Fan Association. He goes by the name “Cat Daddy,” and was suited up in a handmade light-up Panthers outfit.
“It’s bigger than the game for us (Ultimate Fans). … We’re all on this together man. We all hate the team, but we love the fans,” he said.
While several fanbases attended the enshrinement, even Dee-Jay noticed that there was one jersey that stood out amongst the rest.
“It’s overwhelmingly Brees, it’s 80% Brees up in here. I thought we’d have a little bit more blue,” he said.
Saints Superdames make the trip to Canton for Drew Brees
Liz Broekman was one of the many dressed in black and gold representing Who Dat Nation. Broekman is one of the Saint Superdames, a group of Ultimate Fans from New Orleans.
“Oh my God, we’re so excited to see Drew,” she said. “We are so happy for him and proud of him. He has brought so much to our city, and we are so lucky to have him and have had him in our community. We’re here to support him.”
Also in attendance was Toby Paxton who drove 14 hours from Monroe, Louisiana, to celebrate the man who gave his team a championship. To honor Brees, Paxton donned an embroidered jacket with a “record book” of all of Brees’ accomplishments.
“I’ve been waiting for this for like 15 years, ever since he signed with the Saints,” Paxton said.
Ohioans also in the stands
Not everybody in the stadium was from out of town, there were plenty of locals and other Ohioans, including from Stark County, who came just to witness the festivities.
Jason Larsen, from Louisville, has spent the week collecting signatures from any athlete he could. Some of the signatures he’s gotten this week include Brees, Vinatieri and fellow Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, Greg Olson, Chris Collinsworth and Chuba Hubbard.
“I’ve been doing all this stuff for over 10 years. I just collect the things and that’s it. So, this is my last thing for the day and then I’m done for the weekend,” he said.
Ohio high school football teams attend Enshrinement
Several Stark County teams attended the ceremony. Others drove from elsewhere in the state, including Cincinnati St. Xavier to cheer on Kuechly, who starred there nearly 20 years ago.
Sirius Jones, an All-Ohio safety from Cleveland Heights, joined his teammates in making the drive south to Canton for the Enshrinement.
Though Jones has played in the stadium before, being here for the Enshrinment was a different feeling.
“It was a fun experience, bringing the team out and the team gets to see the people who did it at the highest level,” he said.
The Canton Repository sports department can be contacted via email at sports@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Their heroes made the Hall. They made the journey to Canton
Reporting by Aaron Hughes, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Aaron Hughes, Canton Repository | USA TODAY Network
