Meet Antonio Hall, a man of many hats! He’s not only the head football coach of Canton McKinley High School but also serves as the Associate Athletic Director. But his dedication to the sport doesn’t stop there. Hall is one of seven dedicated individuals working tirelessly to bring the National High School Football Hall of Fame to life. National High School Football Hall of Fame 2023.
“I’ve been kind of the guy here in town on the ground, making things happen,” said Hall.
The aim is to give a grand salute to the behind-the-scenes heroes – the players, coaches, teams, and contributors whose passion and efforts have left an indelible mark on the game.
“It’s not just going to be an Ohio thing, it’s just how it kind of turned out. Because we have the Buckeyes here, we have the Browns, we have the Bengals. We have all this illustrious high school networking here, so that’s kind of how the cards fell,” said Hall.
Get ready for an exciting event! The first 22 members will be inducted into the National High School Football Hall of Fame on July 30th at the Timken Career Campus. The 2023 class features legends like Jim Brown and the Manning family. Check out their plaques at the Frank Turk Alberta Locker Room at Canton McKinley High School. National High School Football Hall of Fame 2023.
“We have this entire wall, which will have the plaques with their image superimposed on it, and then a centralized list or plaque of all the inductees in by year,” said Hall.
“It’s an ongoing process, so we have to do it year in, year out and you know we’re still watching kids that are actually in school that are you know making extraordinary feats at this time,” says Assistant Director of the National High School Football Hall of Fame, David Brown.
Brown shared that trimming down a list of 50 nominees to the final 22 was quite a challenge. The future Hall of Fame facility promises exciting features – a walk of fame, coaches’ corner, theater, gift shop, and offices.
“He had this dream about bringing recognition to high school kids. Pitched it around to several cities, and finally wound up in the best city that it could be placed, Canton Ohio,” said Brown.
Hall, a national champion from Canton McKinley and a victor in the Canadian Football League, shares a grand vision. He plans to arrange an annual All-American East-West football classic, showcasing the country’s best high school talent.
Additionally, he aspires for the National High School Football Hall of Fame to inspire his players, encouraging them to reach for the stars and achieve greatness.
“If they see it, they can attain it. And the more they see, the more they can touch. The more the wheels spin, the more want they have, so this is great for our kids,” said Hall.