The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame will induct the Goodyear Blimp as an honorary member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
The blimp will be the first non-player or coach to be inducted. What started as a request from network television to provide aerial coverage for the 1955 Rose Bowl Game telecast has turned into Goodyear’s long-standing commitment to college football coverage.
Since then, the blimp has covered more than 2,000 games from the Rose Bowl to the Cotton Bowl and everything in between.
“College players and fans know that when the Goodyear Blimp shows up, it’s a big game,” said Archie Manning, National Football Foundation chairman. “Its presence is intrinsically known and tied to the traditions that make college football so great.”
The Goodyear Blimp is joining the College Football Hall of Fame in a year when the game celebrates its 150th anniversary.
“I’ve been lucky enough to both play and broadcast underneath the shadow of one of sports’ biggest icons, and each time it’s special,” said Kirk Herbstreit, former college football player and ESPN analyst. “For me, playing under the blimp felt like a payoff for the hard work that goes into game day, so I’m excited it’s getting recognised for its contributions to college football.”
In its sports history, the Goodyear Blimp achieved major broadcast “firsts,” including the first to provide aerial coverage of a major sports event and the first to deliver high definition live video to a national sports game.
“Goodyear is proud that our iconic airship is an honorary member of the College Football Hall of Fame and will live in the company of college football legends,” said Todd Macsuga, Goodyear’s general manager brand marketing, North America consumer. “The Goodyear Blimp has established itself as a symbol of the greatness that takes place on college football fields each Saturday.”
Fans will be able to experience the blimp’s history in college football with a new exhibit set to open later this year at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
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