(Hamilton Stadium) Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Museum, Hamilton (must see)

The Canadian Football Hall of Fame opened on November 28, 1972, in downtown Hamilton, with charter membership beginning on June 19, 1963. It operated as a standalone, not-for-profit museum at City Hall Plaza until its closure on September 19, 2015, when responsibility for the collection shifted to the Canadian Football League.

By the time the original site closed, the Hall had gathered more than 30,000 artifacts, a number that has since grown to over 80,000. The collection includes uniforms, equipment, photographs, statistics, and original game sheets, with the 1909 Grey Cup as one of its key pieces. The former museum also featured an interactive field-goal kicking exhibit that let visitors test their skills.

At the heart of the museum stood the “Zone of Champions,” where steel busts commemorated each inductee. This gallery served as the main commemorative space, presenting the individuals who shaped Canadian football. As of the Class of 2025, the Hall includes 328 members, comprising players and builders whose contributions span generations.

Following the closure of the standalone building, the inductee busts and selected exhibits were relocated to a 10,000-square-foot space on the club level of Hamilton Stadium, widely known as Tim Hortons Field. Under this decentralized model, only a portion of the collection is displayed at any given time, while most artifacts are preserved in climate-controlled storage.

The 16-foot Touchdown statue was moved to Gate 3 of the stadium, and the Media Hall of Fame collection is housed separately in the press box on the seventh floor. In addition, selected artifacts travel across Canada for temporary exhibitions, including presentations at major events such as the Grey Cup Festival.