"The Pro Football Hall of Fame is located in Canton, Ohio, for three primary reasons: (1) the American Professional Football Association, later renamed the National Football League, was founded in Canton on Sept. 17, 1920; (2) the Canton Bulldogs were an early pro football power, even before the days of the NFL. They were also the first two-time champion of the NFL, in 1922 and 1923. The great Jim Thorpe, the first big-name athlete to play pro football, played his first pro football with the Bulldogs, starting in 1915; (3) Canton citizens early in the 1960s launched a determined and well-organized campaign to earn the site designation for their city.” - Pro Football Hall of Fame