By David Schuster

CANTON, Ohio (WSCR) — I just got back from an extended tour of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And if you’re a fan of the sport you absolutely have to come to Canton, Ohio and see this shrine.

The entire history of the game is inside those hallowed walls and it’s not just the NFL that is represented. The different variations of the AFL and USFL are also displayed in numerous presentations.

But it’s the NFL that is front and center. From the very beginnings of the Canton Bull Dogs and the Decatur Staleys with George Halas prominently displayed. In fact the Bears and all their championships and great stars are all over the place. Dick Butkus, Gayle Sayers and Walter Payton are there as are current players Brian Urlacher, Julius Peppers and Jay Cutler.

Videos of stars such as Joe Montana, Jim Brown and Jerry Rice (amoung others) can be seen throughout the Hall, and there are artifacts from the leather helmets to the torn-down goal posts to Tom Dempsey’s steel toe shoe from when he kicked his famous 63-yard field goal.

There are also fans decked out in the various team’s colors and wearing the jersey of their favorite players. With Richard Dent being enshrined today, I saw countless Bear jerseys with his name or that of Payton, Sayers, Butkus or Urlacher.

Sadly, the attendence is down this year because the Hall of Fame game itself was cancelled, but the people of Canton are excited because the building is going to be greatly expanded, doubling in size within two years.