CANTON, Ohio — The Ohio High School Athletic Association football state finals will remain in Canton through at least 2026, OHSAA executive director Doug Ute announced Monday afternoon.
Ute made the announcement at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Luncheon Club weekly meeting. He said the state finals will remain in Canton for the next three years starting in 2024 with two option years after that.
The OHSAA and Pro Football Hall of Fame jointly agreed to the contract.
"We are excited to continue to grow this partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Ute said in a statement. “They have been so good to work with and are just as excited as us to take the next steps with the finals in Canton and have people experience all that the Hall of Fame, the surrounding Hall of Fame Village, and Canton have to offer in addition to state championship football. We also thank Visit Canton for their support of the state championships and appreciate their support to host the games in Stark County.”
The new contract was announced just as this year's football state finals week begins. This week concludes a three-year contract with the Pro Football Hall of Fame which was announced in June 2021.
"The Pro Football Hall of Fame is proud to partner with Visit Canton and the OHSAA to keep the seven state championship games in Canton for the next three years,” said Jim Porter, Hall of Fame president. “The Hall wants this relationship to continue long into the future. Our staff will look for additional ways to build the weekend into a full community celebration – making the experience even more special for the teams playing in Canton and creating memories that will last a lifetime.”
The seven games are set for the 52nd annual OHSAA football state championship games, which kick off Thursday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.
This season is the first time since 2011 that no Greater Cincinnati team is in the OHSAA football state finals.
After Ohio Stadium in Columbus hosted the state championships throughout the 1980s, the finals moved to Massillon and Canton in Stark County from 1990 through 2013.
The finals moved back to The Ohio State University from 2014-16, which was also when Fawcett Stadium in Canton was torn down. Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium was built and has hosted the state finals since 2017 except in 2020 due to the pandemic, when the finals were hosted in Obetz and Massillon.
Fawcett Stadium, the former name of Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, first hosted a state football final in 1991.
A state football final has not been held in Cincinnati since 1980 when Moeller defeated Massillon Washington 30-7 in the Division I state championship at Nippert Stadium.
