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OHSAA Football
State Championships Moving to Canton
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio High School Athletic Association football
state championship games will be played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame
Stadium in Canton in 2017 and 2018 following approval from the OHSAA
Board of Directors at its January meeting Thursday. The OHSAA staff had
previously confirmed its intent to return to Canton in 2017 and 2018
and the 9-0 vote by the board of directors Thursday makes the move
official.
After a 24-year stay in Stark County from 1990-2013, the football state
championship games were held at Ohio Stadium in Columbus in 2014, 2015
and 2016.
“We had great hosts in Stark County before, and I know we will again,”
said Dr. Dan Ross, OHSAA Commissioner. “We are blessed in Ohio to have
so many outstanding playoff venues like Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
in Canton and Ohio Stadium here in Columbus, and our intent all along
has been to rotate the finals between the two sites. The last three
years in Columbus have been great, and the timing worked out well
because Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame had major stadium
renovations underway at the same time.”
The 2017 OHSAA football state championships weekend is Thursday, Nov.
30, through Sunday, Dec. 3. The exact dates and times of the games will
be finalized this spring. All seven state championship games will be
played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
“Visit Canton is excited to see the tradition of the OHSAA High School
Football Championships return to Stark County, and we are so eager to
showcase the world-class Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium,” said Allyson
Bussey, President of Visit Canton. “Our team at the Convention &
Visitors’ Bureau is working hand-in-hand with OHSAA and the Pro
Football Hall of Fame to plan an experience of excellence for the
athletes, coaches, parents, students and everyone involved in this
prestigious event.”
The stadium complex, which is next to the Pro Football Hall of Fame,
will include Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village, featuring hotels,
shopping, a conference center and parking decks.
The world-class stadium and entertainment complex, adjacent to the Pro
Football Hall of Fame, is one of nine major components of Johnson
Controls Hall of Fame Village, a $600 million development project under
way to transform the Hall of Fame’s campus.
“We look forward to the OHSAA High School Championships returning to
Canton,” shared David Baker, President & CEO of the Pro Football
Hall of Fame. “Johnson Controls Hall of Fame Village that includes the
spectacular, state-of-the-art Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium will
provide a rich experience for the many players, coaches, families, and
fans attending the games. The excellence in competition among the best
football players in the state will be celebrated by the Hall of Fame
and our community.”
No details for the football state championship games after 2018 have
been finalized, but the OHSAA intends to return to Ohio Stadium in
Columbus for the 2019 state championship games.
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