‘Gridiron Glory’ brings football Hall of Fame to Kansas City’s Union Station

Are you ready for some football? Needing a fix before preseason camp starts? Head to Kansas City’s Union Station for the largest Pro Football Hall of Fame exhibit outside of Canton.

More than 200 football artifacts, photos and documents are on display as part of “Gridiron Glory” at Union Station through Sept. 7th. The exhibit includes a special section about the Kansas City Chiefs’ history.

I admit I was like a kid in a candy shop. We’ve visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, twice. Each visit to the Hall is special. I jumped at the chance to visit a traveling exhibit.

American football was invented in western Pennsylvania. But, professional football was created in Canton. The Canton Bulldogs were among the first professional teams in the United States.

Jim Thorpe has long been considered the greatest athlete in American history. He played football, baseball and was an Olympic gold medal winner. Thorpe – a graduate of the Carlisle (PA) Indian school – was one of the first professional football players. Thorpe was a Canton Bulldog.

As you enter the exhibit, you get a look at some of the Chiefs’ history. A video shows on a wall-length screen. It is impressive.

The exhibit floor offers visitors so much to see, touch and do. Besides the exhibits, people can participate in interactive displays. They include helmets with radio receivers that quarterbacks use to hear calls from the sideline, shoulder pads and agility tests. Lisa attempted her impression of being Peyton Manning.

A couple tried their hands at being a referee and making the right call. I don’t think they’ll be carrying a whistle anytime soon.

A kid tried his foot at kicking a field goal. It took him several tries, but he eventually scored three points.

Lisa tried throwing a football. I didn’t see anyone from the New England Patriots nearby, so she didn’t get a deflated ball to use.

Among items on display are a Duluth Eskimos helmet and jersey from 1926. The Eskimos would go on a barnstorming tour after their season ended, because the guys loved the game (and extra cash didn’t hurt).

Detroit Lions great Bobby Layne has a uniform on display.

A jersey worn by Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is available for viewing. Stafford had separated his shoulder during a late-game drive. The training staff had to cut the jersey off of him afterward.

A jersey worn by Drew Brees is part of the collection. Brees became the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 5,000 yards in one season.

Two footballs used by Miami’s Dan Marino are on display. They marked the quarterback’s career records for passing yards and completions. He’s possibly the greatest QB never to win the Super Bowl.

The exhibit looks at the league’s dynasties – the early Green bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49’ers and the current New England Patriots.

The oldest player in the NFL has a jersey in the exhibit. George Blanda wore No. 16 for the Oakland Raiders. The quarterback/kicker played 26 seasons before retiring at the age of 48.

The NFL explores the league’s racial imbalance during the early years. The exhibit highlights the first African-Americans to play in the NFL. It also explores the growth of minorities in the league.

At one time in NFL history, it was believed that African-Americans didn’t have the mental skills to play quarterback, center or middle linebacker. Can you believe that? Omaha’s Marlin Briscoe was the first African-American to play quarterback in modern professional football with the Denver Broncos. However, he only had one season at the position before being moved to wide receiver. The Omaha University alum had a decent career at the position.

Warren Moon was passed over by the NFL because “experts” didn’t think he could play quarterback. After succeeding in the Canadian Football league, he played several years in the NFL with success.

It was Doug Williams, though, who made NFL executives reconsider the race factor at positions. Williams, a Grambling graduate, took a woeful Tampa Bay Buccaneer franchise from the bottom of the NFL to a playoff team. He later guided the Washington franchise to a Super Bowl win.

Dwight Stephenson did the same at center for the Miami Dolphins.

Players weren’t the only ones affected by race. It took until the late 1980s for the NFL to have its first African-American head coach. Fritz Pollard was the first African-American coach in pro football, with Akron in the early 1920s. It wasn’t until 1989 that another African-American led a team on the sideline. Art Shell took over as head coach for his beloved Oakland Raiders in 1989. He coached the Silver and Black until 1994, and again in 2006. He achieved an overall mark of 56-52, with three playoff berths.

Now, no one bats an eye when an African-American is named coach. Tony Dungy won a Super Bowl with Indianapolis. It was in the same game that we had our first match-up of teams coached by African-Americans, when Lovie Smith led the Chicago Bears. Today, there are five African-American coaches in the 32-team league.

Mike Carey became the first African-American to be named referee (head official) in a Super Bowl. He led the “zebras” in Super Bowl XLII, which matched the New York Giants and New England.

A display of  jerseys provide a backdrop for visitors to get a close-up view of the Lombardi Trophy, awarded to each year’s Super Bowl champion.

As visitors meander through the 20,000-square feet of exhibits, the final stop is a closer look at Kansas City football history.

The championship trophy the Chiefs took from my beloved Minnesota Vikings in the 1969 Super Bowl is on display, along with team rings from championship seasons.

The original document that created the American Football League is on display. The late Lamar Hunt jotted down rules and processes for an upstart league to challenge the National Football League during an airline flight.

Hunt was a genius when it came to marketing the professional game. The Chiefs were among the first teams to have cheerleaders on the sideline. Hunt even came up with the name of the championship game. He claims he was thinking of his son’s “super ball” toy when someone asked what the league should call the championship. “Super Bowl” was his response. On display is a letter from a WHAM-O executive and a Super Ball sent to Hunt.

Great players in Chiefs’ lore have jerseys on display – Len Dawson, Buck Buchanan and even Jan Stenerud (one of the greatest kickers of all-time).

A jersey that has special meaning to us as Nebraska fans was one worn by Will Shields during a Pro Bowl. Shields will be inducted into the Pro Football hall of Fame in August. Shields is one of the greatest player to play at Nebraska. He will joined in canton by another great husker – Mick Tingelhoff, who played center for the Vikings.

The Chiefs’ exhibit includes a replica locker of the late Derrick Thomas. The great linebacker died in 2000 in a vehicle accident.

Next to Thomas’ locker is a replica of current Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles.

Kansas City’s exhibit includes the 1969 Super Bowl champion banner.

“Gridiron Glory” is a must for any football fan. Admission for the special exhibit is $14.95 for adults and $11.95 for kids. Plan a weekend trip to see this special exhibit before it’s gone.

For more information on the exhibit or Union Station, please visit www.unionstation.org.

Disclaimer: Thank you to the Kansas City Visitors Bureau and Union Station for the complimentary tickets. However, all opinions and views are ours.