The Virginia Historical Society announced that TowneBank will sponsor the next VHS special exhibition, Gridiron Glory: The Best of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The nationally touring exhibition kicks off at the VHS on May 28, 2016. The exhibition will be on display through September 4 in the Virginia Sargeant Reynolds Gallery.
Organized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, the exhibition presents the story of professional football from its beginning in the late nineteenth century to the cultural phenomenon it is today. Gridiron Glory consists of more than 200 artifacts and storied objects, hands-on interactive games, photography, unique documents, and film footage, all of which allows visitors to experience football like never before.
Except for hardcore football enthusiasts, most who follow the National Football League don’t necessarily think about the history of their favorite sport.
“Seeing Gridiron Glory will give visitors a chance to experience how the game developed over the decades,” said Paul Levengood, President and CEO of the VHS.
First played in 1869, gridiron football actually began as an intercollegiate sport played among Ivy League universities, quite different from football as we know it today. At its inception, football was played in teams of twenty-five players from universities like Princeton, Yale, Harvard, and Columbia, who continuously fought over what the rules of the game should be.
Gridiron Glory will take visitors through the history and development of American football with artifacts such as a Super Bowl trophy, a 1917 game ball used by Jim Thorpe and the Canton Bulldogs, Tom Dempsey’s famous kicking shoe created for his half-foot, and “Mean Joe” Greene’s jersey.
Admission to this special exhibition is free for VHS members. Admission for nonmembers is $20. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 4.
“TowneBank’s commitment will help the VHS continue to make history relevant, exciting, and accessible to present and future generations,” said John R. Nelson, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the VHS.
Gridiron Glory is a production of Pro Football Exhibits, LLC, through a partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Museum, Canton, OH. The exhibit is owned and toured by Algonquin Museum Services, designed by Gallagher & Associates, sales by Evergreen Exhibitions and audio/film provided by NFL Films, Inc.
The Virginia Historical Society (VHS)—a privately funded nonprofit organization—collects, preserves, and interprets the Commonwealth’s history, linking past with present to inspire future generations. The VHS is located at 428 North Boulevard in Richmond’s Museum District. Hours are Monday – Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. for the galleries and museum shop, Monday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. for the library. For more information about the VHS call (804) 358-4901, visit vahistorical.org, or connect with the VHS on Facebook and Twitter.
About TowneBank: As one of the top community banks in Virginia and North Carolina, TowneBank operates 36 banking offices serving Chesapeake, Chesterfield County, Glen Allen, Hampton, James City County, Mechanicsville, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Richmond, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, and York County in Virginia, along with Moyock, Grandy, Camden County, Southern Shores, Corolla and Nags Head in North Carolina. Towne also offers a full range of financial services through its controlled divisions and subsidiaries that include Towne Investment Group, Towne Insurance Agency, TFA Benefits, TowneBank Mortgage, TowneBank Commercial Mortgage, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Towne Realty, Towne 1031 Exchange, LLC, and Beach Properties of Hilton Head. Local decision-making is a hallmark of its hometown banking strategy that is delivered through the leadership of each group’s President and Board of Directors. With total assets of $6.30 billion as of December 31, 2015, TowneBank is one of the largest banks headquartered in Virginia.
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