Two of the most storied franchises in NFL history will start the 2013 preseason with the Hall of Fame Game at Fawcett Stadium as the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins will wrap up Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week in Canton.
The game is set for 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 4th. It marks a very busy season for the Akron and Canton areas; Akron will be hosting the 2013 Bridgestone Invitational World Golf Championship at Firestone Country Club the same week.
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(Pro Football Hall of Fame) The Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins will kick off the 2013 preseason in the NFL/Hall of Fame Game. Tickets to the 2013 edition of the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio will go on sale at 11:00 a.m. EDT today. The nationally televised NFL preseason classic is scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. EDT kickoff at Fawcett Stadium on Sunday, August 4th and will be broadcast by NBC.
The Cowboys return to Canton for the fifth time. Dallas holds a 1-3 record in the Hall of Fame series. Their last appearance came in 2010 with a 16-7 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. That game was preceded by an overtime loss, the only sudden death occurrence in Hall of Fame Game history, to the Cleveland Browns in 1999. Dallas’ two other appearances were against the Oakland Raiders in 1979 and the Chicago Bears in 1968.
This year’s contest marks the Dolphins’ fourth journey to Canton. Miami is 0-3 in previous visits. Miami suffered losses in the Hall of Fame Game to the Bears in 2005, St. Louis Rams in 2001, and the Philadelphia Eagles in 1978.
The game will be played just one day after the newest class of enshrinees is formally inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday, August 3. Three of the seven members of the Class of 2013 have ties to the participating teams.
Guard Larry Allen is the 14th longtime member of the Cowboys franchise to earn election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He starred for the team from 1994 to 2005 during which time he was named All-Pro seven times. Bill Parcells finished his Hall of Fame coaching career with four seasons in Dallas from 2003-06. He also spent time in the Dolphins front office after his coaching career as the club’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations from 2007-2010. Wide receiver Cris Carter closed out his playing career with the Dolphins in 2002.
Joining Allen, Carter, and Parcells in the Class of 2013 are defensive tackles Curley Culp and Warren Sapp, tackle Jonathan Ogden, and linebacker Dave Robinson.
The demand for tickets for this year’s NFL/Hall of Fame Game is expected to be substantially higher than previous years. This year’s game will serve not only as the culminating event of the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival, but as an exclamation point for the Hall of Fame’s 50th Anniversary Golden Reunion Celebration. More than 120 previously elected members of the Hall of Fame are expected to be in Canton to celebrate the Hall of Fame’s 50th Anniversary. It will be the largest gathering of Hall of Famers in one place at the same time.
In addition to recognizing the members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2013 during the game, plans are being formulated to also recognize many of the returning Hall of Fame members.
