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The Indiana Football Hall of Fame was conceived in January, 1973, as an affiliation of the Indiana Football Coaches Association. Its purpose is to establish scholarships and endowments for excellence in football in the state of Indiana and to recognize those outstanding individuals who have contributed much to the game of football in Indiana. The Indiana Football Coaches Association, in agreement with the Hall of Fame Board of Directors, formulates and directs all policies concerning nominees for induction into the Hall of Fame. Candidates include coaches, players, officials, sport media, and citizens of Indiana who have made prominent and lasting contributions to the advancement of football excellence.

The Hall of Fame includes retrospection from Indiana’s prestigious football history from the early 1920’s to the present. The Hall of Fame also honors those individuals and corporations whose financial contributions have made the Indiana Football Hall of Fame a reality. The first meeting of the Indiana Football Hall of Fame founders was held at the Leland Hotel in historic downtown Richmond on May 15, 1973. The founders were Hubert “Hub” Etchison, Harry Davidson, Claude O’Maley, and Charles Wellings, all of Richmond. Along with the founders, others serving on the first Board of Directors were John Friend, Munster; Bill Siderwiez, Martinsville; Jules Siegel, East Chicago; Joe Talley, Tell City; and, Bob Williams, Indianapolis Star.

The Board of Directors purchased the former United States Post Office building at 815 North A Street in Richmond as the site for the Hall of Fame in July, 1974, at a cost of $98,000. The Post Office was built at the turn of the century, making it an excellent historical site for the purposes of the Hall of Fame. Artifacts include football photographs, mementos, uniforms, and equipment donated by high schools, colleges, and individuals from across the state. Plaques, photographs, and brief biographies of inductees, Hall of Fame scholarship winners, and All-Star teams are displayed. Ceramic tiles with signatures of donors who financially supported the opening of the Hall of Fame are displayed, along with the Founders Award plaques given yearly to a deserving individual who has made a lasting contribution to the Hall of Fame in the form of volunteerism.

On September 4, 1974, Indiana Governor Otis Bowen issued a proclamation setting aside the month of September, 1974, as Indiana Football Hall of Fame month in recognition of the importance of football’s excellent history to the State.

Sadly, after two years of the unfortunate financial effects of a global pandemic felt by the arts and museums everywhere, the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in Richmond, Indiana was closed, and the building sold in December of 2021.

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