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123-655: Following its founding in Canton, Ohio (1920), the NFL first determined champions through end-of-season standings, switching to a playoff system in 1933 (a one-game playoff was required in 1932). The rival All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and American Football League (AFL) have since merged with the NFL (the only two AAFC teams that currently exist, the Cleveland Browns and the San Francisco 49ers , joined

246-436: A metropolitan area that covers Carroll and Stark counties and had a combined population of 404,422 at the 2010 census . As of the census of 2010, there were 73,007 people, 29,705 households, and 17,127 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,867.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,107.1/km ). There were 34,571 housing units at an average density of 1,357.9 per square mile (524.3/km ). The racial makeup of

369-559: A 3–0–3 record going into their final game against the Canton Bulldogs, who were also undefeated. The Indians were defeated 46–0 and posted a 3–1–3 league record, finishing fifth in the league, which comprised twenty teams at the time. However, in August 1924, Deutsch, bought the defending NFL champions Canton Bulldogs for $ 2,500. The Bulldogs were experiencing heavy financial troubles at time and were sold to Deutsch without much of

492-544: A Sunday in those years. The All-America Football Conference was created in June 1944 to compete against the NFL . Even though the league drew comparable crowds to the NFL in its final three seasons, the continuing dominance of the Cleveland Browns led to the league's downfall. For its first three seasons, the league was divided into two divisions: Eastern and Western (1946–1948). The league had no divisions in 1949. The site of

615-629: A dissenting opinion recognizing the constitutional protection of such speech in Abrams v. United States . Justice Louis D. Brandeis was the only other jurist to join Justice Holmes' dissent, and the minority opinion had no effect on Debs' conviction and continued incarceration. The changed mind articulated by Justice Holmes on November 10, 1919 nevertheless had a profound impact on the development of American constitutional law. His dissent in Abrams

738-423: A divisional foe in the conference championship game. A players' strike shortened the 1982 season to nine games. The league used a special 16-team playoff tournament for that year. The top eight teams from each conference qualified (ignoring the divisional races—there were no division standings, and in some cases, two teams from the same division did not play each other at all that season). The playoffs reverted to

861-559: A four-team tournament, with the four divisional champions participating. The two division winners in each conference met in the "Conference Championships", with the winners advancing to the NFL Championship Game. Again, the home team for each playoff game was determined by a yearly divisional or conference rotation. The AFL, on the other hand, raised its total franchise number to ten with the Miami Dolphins joining

984-481: A household in the city was $ 28,730, and the median income for a family was $ 35,680. Males had a median income of $ 30.628 versus $ 21,581 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 15,544. About 15.4% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.4% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over. Canton's economy has traditionally been primarily industrial, with significant health care and agricultural segments. The city

1107-511: A male householder with no wife present, and 42.3% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age in the city was 35.6 years. 25.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.6% were from 25 to 44; 25.6% were from 45 to 64; and 12.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of

1230-742: A month following the American entry into the First World War, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Espionage Act of 1917 into law. This Act made it a federal crime to interfere with, among other things, the Selective Service Act or military draft. On June 30, 1918, Debs was arrested and charged with, among other things, “unlawfully, willfully and feloniously cause and attempt to cause and incite and attempt to incite, insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny and refusal of duty, in

1353-653: A struggle. Duestch combined the Cleveland Indians with the Canton Bulldogs, creating a new team, the Cleveland Bulldogs. Only seven of the Canton players actually joined the new Bulldogs; among them was player-coach Guy Chamberlin . The team played all of its home games at Dunn Field although Deutsch returned the team to Canton for the Thanksgiving game that season. The Cleveland Bulldogs won

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1476-613: A surveyor and devout Episcopalian from Maryland born January 28, 1763. Canton was likely named as a memorial to Captain John O'Donnell , an Irish merchant marine with the British East India Company whom Wells admired. O'Donnell named his estate in Maryland after Canton, China as he had been the first person to transport goods from there to Baltimore . The name selected by Wells may also have been influenced by

1599-576: A team consisting partly of high school players, also against league rules) to pass Pottsville in the standings. The league awarded the Cardinals the title, one of only two in the team's history, but the Cardinals declined the offer and the championship was vacated. Only in 1933, when the Bidwill family (which still owns the Cardinals) bought the team, did the Cardinals reverse their decision and claim

1722-534: A typical January, high temperatures of over 50 °F (10 °C) are just as common as low temperatures of below 0 °F (−18 °C). Snowfall is lighter than the snow belt areas to the north. Akron-Canton Airport generally averages 47.7 inches (121 cm) of snow per season. Springs are short with rapid transition from hard winter to summer weather. Summers tend to be warm, sometimes hot, with average July high temperatures of 83 °F (28 °C), and average July low of 62 °F (17 °C). Summer weather

1845-796: A win and half a loss, but this was not applied retroactively. Had it been, it would have changed the outcome of four 1920-1931 championships: the Buffalo All-Americans would have tied the Akron Pros for the 1920 title, the Duluth Kelleys would have tied the Cleveland Bulldogs for the 1924 title, the Pottsville Maroons would have won in 1925, and the New York Giants would have won in 1930. Had win–loss differential (the standard method in baseball) been used,

1968-592: Is a lower class I am in it; while there is a criminal element I am of it; while there is a soul in prison I am not free.'" In June 2017 Canton applied for and received a historical marker from the Ohio History Connection , formerly the Ohio Historical Society. The marker is located next to where Debs stood in Canton on the afternoon of June 16, 1918. It commemorates the significance and legacy of his speech at Nimisilla Park, notes

2091-481: Is also home to several regional food producers, including Nickles Bakery (baked goods), Case Farms (poultry), and Shearer's Foods (snack foods). Poultry production and dairy farming are also important segments of the Canton area's economy. Since 2000, Canton has experienced a very low unemployment rate. The healthcare sector is particularly strong, with Aultman Hospital and Mercy Medical Center among its largest employers. Nevertheless, as in many industrial areas of

2214-736: Is bordered by Plain Township and North Canton to the north, Meyers Lake and Perry Township to the west, Canton Township to the South, and Nimishillen Township , Osnaburg Township and East Canton to the east. Annexations were approved in December 2006 extending Canton's eastern boundary to East Canton 's border. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 25.48 square miles (65.99 km ), of which 25.46 square miles (65.94 km )

2337-628: Is considered by many legal scholars to be the canonical affirmation of free speech in the United States. While Debs’ speech in Canton and subsequent conviction ultimately aided Debs in delivering the Socialist Party's antiwar platform, his age and the deleterious effects of prison exhausted his ability as an orator. Debs died of heart failure on October 20, 1926. His obituary in The New York Times recounted his words from

2460-740: Is home to the Canton Centre mall and several retail outlets of varying size. A vein of commerce runs along Whipple Avenue, connecting the Canton Centre area with the Belden Village area. A similar vein runs north from the downtown area, along Cleveland and Market avenues. Connecting Cleveland and Market avenues is a small shopping district on 30th Street NW, and retail lines the Route 62 corridor leading from Canton to Louisville and Alliance . The city's economy has diversified due to

2583-507: Is home to the TimkenSteel Corporation, a major manufacturer of specialty steel. Several other large companies operate in the greater Canton area, including Timken Company , a maker of tapered roller bearings ; Belden Brick Company , a brick and masonry producer; Diebold , a maker of ATMs , electronic voting devices, and bank vaults, and Medline Industries , a manufacturer and distributor of health care supplies. The area

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2706-498: Is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km ) is water. Canton has a humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification Dfa ), typical of much of the Midwestern United States , with warm, humid summers and cold winters. Winters tend to be cold, with average January high temperatures of 34 °F (1 °C), and average lows of 19 °F (−7 °C), with considerable variation in temperatures. During

2829-542: Is located approximately 60 miles (97 km) south of Cleveland and 20 miles (32 km) south of Akron in Northeast Ohio on the edge of Ohio's Amish Country . As of the 2020 census , the population of Canton was 70,872, making Canton eighth among Ohio cities in population. It is the largest municipality in the Canton–Massillon metropolitan area , which includes all of Stark and Carroll counties, and

2952-470: Is more stable, generally humid with thunderstorms fairly common. Temperatures reach or exceed 90 °F (32 °C) about 10 times each summer, on average. Fall usually is the driest season with many clear, warm days and cool nights. The all-time record high in the Akron-Canton area of 104 °F (40 °C) was established on August 6, 1918, and the all-time record low of −25 °F (−32 °C)

3075-651: Is not recognized by NFL record books. Unlike the AFL statistics which are treated as NFL statistics, records of the AAFC and its teams (most of which folded) are not recognized. However, individual AAFC player statistics are included in Pro Football Hall of Fame records, and the defunct conference is memorialized in the Hall. From 1946 to 1948 the champions of each division met in the AAFC championship game. In 1949, there

3198-552: Is still reflected today in many different ways, and he remains the namesake of McKinley Senior High School of the Canton City School System. On June 16, 1918, Eugene V. Debs delivered the keynote speech at the annual Ohio Socialist Convention held in Canton's Nimisilla Park. At the time, Debs had been a four-time candidate for president and was considered the country's leading socialist and labor organizer. During his speech he decried America's involvement in

3321-612: The 1933 title game was determined by the won-lost percentage in use at the time; the Western Division champion Chicago Bears (10–2–1, .833), having a better record than the Eastern Division champion New York Giants (11–3–0, .786), won the right to host the first title playoff. Thereafter, from 1934 onward, the divisions alternated the site of the playoff, with the East/American hosting in even years and

3444-548: The 1989 season. More significantly, the home teams in the playoffs were still decided by a yearly divisional rotation, not on regular-season records (excluding the wild-card teams, who would always play on the road). This lack of "home-field advantage" was most evident in the 1972 playoffs , when the undefeated Miami Dolphins played the AFC Championship Game at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh against

3567-621: The AFL champion in Super Bowls I through IV, the only true inter-league championship games in the history of professional football. The first two of these games were known as the AFL-NFL Championship Game , as the title Super Bowl was not chosen until 1968. Thus the third AFL-NFL matchup was dubbed "Super Bowl III" and the first two matches were retronamed as Super Bowls I and II. The first two games were convincingly won by

3690-755: The American Professional Football Association (renamed the National Football League in 1922). The attendees included Ralph Hay , owner of the Hupmobile showroom and the hometown Canton Bulldogs , and George Halas , owner of the Decatur Staleys . Jim Thorpe of the Bulldogs was the league's first president. In 2014 a sculpture titled Birth of the NFL was erected in downtown Canton marking

3813-676: The Amtorg Trading Corporation , one of Soviet Russia's buying agencies in the US, for $ 329.000. The company's massive brick factories, which covered more than 20 acres and included an ornate 150-foot clock tower, were demolished to accommodate the construction of Interstate 77 . On September 17, 1920, a meeting was held at the Hupmobile showroom in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Building in Canton to found

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3936-557: The Canton Civic Center . Operations were suspended in 2009. The Continental Indoor Football League also has offices in Canton. For the 2023 United States Football League (USFL) season , Canton served as the hub for the New Jersey Generals and Pittsburgh Maulers , with both teams playing their designated home games at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. The first official female bodybuilding competition

4059-556: The Cleveland Indians NFL franchise in 1922 . However, after team owner Samuel Deutsch purchased the Canton Bulldogs in 1924, he merged the Canton team with his Indians and renamed his franchise the Cleveland Bulldogs. The Canton Bulldogs remained a part of the team until 1925, when they were sold back to Canton. The Cleveland Bulldogs played in the NFL until 1928 when they were relocated to Detroit and became

4182-599: The Detroit Wolverines . The team was later incorporated into the New York Giants in 1929. The Cleveland Bulldogs won the 1924 NFL championship . Sam Deutsch, a Cleveland jeweler and boxing promoter who also owned a minor-league baseball team, bought an NFL franchise in 1923 and named the team the Indians. They played only seven games in that first season, but they had a shot at the championship, with

4305-479: The First World War , saying, “They have always taught you that it is your patriotic duty to go to war and slaughter yourselves at their command. You have never had a voice in the war. The working class who make the sacrifices, who shed the blood, have never yet had a voice in declaring war.” Among Debs' audience at Nimisilla Park were agents of the U.S. Department of Justice . The year before his speech, and

4428-620: The Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts tied for first place in the Western Conference at 10–3–1. Green Bay had won both its games with Baltimore during the regular season, but because no tie-breaker system was in place, a conference playoff game was held on December 26 (what was scheduled to be an off-week between the end of the regular schedule and the NFL Championship Game). The Cleveland Browns ,

4551-565: The Huguenot use of the word "canton," which meant a division of a district containing several communes. Through Wells' efforts and promotion, Canton was designated the county seat of Stark County upon its division from Columbiana County on January 1, 1809. For most of his adult life, Canton was the home of William McKinley , the 25th president of the United States. Born in Niles, Ohio , McKinley first practiced law in Canton around 1867, and

4674-564: The NFL championship that year with a 7–1–1 record. After winning their first six games, the Bulldogs lost to the Frankford Yellow Jackets and entered a virtual tie with the Chicago Bears for first place in the standings. The Bears played more games, but also had more ties, and their one loss had come in the season opener against the Bulldogs. The Bears attempted to have an after-season exhibition game counted toward

4797-539: The New York Giants have won the third most with eight (four pre-Super Bowl era and four Super Bowls). Although the Cleveland Browns have also won eight overall championships (four AAFC and four pre-Super Bowl era), their four AAFC titles are not recognized by the NFL. The New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs of the AFL won the last two AFL-NFL World Championship Games, after the name Super Bowl had been officially adopted. At its inception in 1920 ,

4920-566: The Steelers , who were undefeated at home during the regular season, but had three losses on the road. Beginning in 1972 , tie games were included in the computing of each team's winning percentage . Each tie was then counted as half of a win and half of a loss, rather than being omitted from the computation. Previously, the NFL disregarded any tie games played when they computed the standings, basing it on winning percentage with any ties thrown out and ignored. Overtime games were not played during

5043-530: The Timken Company and TimkenSteel split, forming two separate companies at the urging of shareholders. The Timken Company relocated to neighboring Jackson Township , while TimkenSteel remains headquartered in Canton. In response to this changing manufacturing landscape, the city is undergoing a transition to a retail and service-based economy. Beginning in the 1970s, Canton, like many mid-size American cities, lost most of its downtown retail business to

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5166-457: The Tudor , Georgian , and French-Norman styles built in the early 20th century with amenities such as original brick streets and locally produced street lighting standards. The District features homes designed by several distinguished architects, including Charles Firestone, Herman Albrecht, and Louis Hoicowitz. Canton is the largest principal city of the Canton–Massillon metropolitan area ,

5289-699: The William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum commemorate his life and presidency. Canton was also chosen as the site of the First Ladies National Historic Site largely in honor of his wife, Ida Saxton McKinley . Starting in the mid-2010s, Canton began experiencing an urban renaissance, anchored by a growing arts district centrally located in the downtown area. Several historic buildings have been rehabilitated and converted into upscale lofts, attracting hundreds of new downtown residents into

5412-633: The "Conference Championships" (AFC & NFC). Two weeks later, the AFC and NFC champions met in the Super Bowl , now the league's championship game. Thus, Super Bowl V in January 1971 was the first Super Bowl played for the NFL title. With the introduction of the wild card, a rule was instituted to prohibit two teams from the same division (champion and wild card) from meeting in the first-round (Divisional Playoffs). This rule would remain in effect through

5535-579: The 1960 through 1969 seasons, the NFL staged an additional postseason game called the " Playoff Bowl " (aka the " Bert Bell Benefit Bowl" or the "Runner-up Bowl"). These games matched the second-place teams from the two conferences; the CBS television network advertised them as "playoff games for third place in the NFL." All ten of these consolation games were played in the Orange Bowl in Miami in January,

5658-511: The 1978 format in the following year. In 1990 , the NFL expanded the playoffs to twelve teams by adding a third wild-card team (a sixth seed) from each conference. The restrictions on intra-division playoff games during the Divisional Playoffs were removed. However, only the top two division winners in each conference (the 1 and 2 seeds) received byes and automatically advanced to the Divisional Playoffs as host teams. The 3 seed,

5781-456: The Bears' 6–1–6 (.692, +5). To determine the champion, the league, reportedly at the behest of George Preston Marshall , voted to hold the first official playoff game in Chicago at Wrigley Field . Because of severe winter conditions before the game, and fear of low turnout, the game was held indoors at Chicago Stadium which forced some temporary rule changes. The game was played on a modified 80-yard dirt field, and Chicago won 9–0, winning

5904-432: The Bulldogs were in first place with an .875 winning percentage to Chicago's .857. However, on December 7, 1924, the Bulldogs went to Chicago for a challenge match. The Bears won the game, 23–0, and claimed that they deserved the NFL championship; they cited as precedent the 1921 championship decision (which the Bears had won over the Buffalo All-Americans) that declared there was no such thing as an exhibition game. However,

6027-422: The Bulldogs. He also sold his Cleveland Indians half of the club to Herb Brandt in August 1925. That season the Cleveland Bulldogs fell to a dismal 5–8–1 record. The team performed poorly on the field and at the bank. By mid-November the organization was nearly bankrupt. In 1926 Brandt received authority from the league to suspend operations for a year. The Bulldogs then returned in 1927, bolstered by players from

6150-400: The Decatur Staleys would have won the 1920 title by virtue of being one game ahead of Buffalo, and the 1924 title would have been won by the Frankford Yellow Jackets , who were four games ahead of actual champion Cleveland in the standings by that measure. At the end of the 1932 season, the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans were tied with the best winning percentage at .857, with

6273-412: The Divisional Playoffs, which became the second round of the playoffs. In the divisional round, much like the 1970 playoff format, teams from the same division were still prohibited from playing each other, regardless of seeding. Under the 1978 format, teams from the same division could meet only in the wild-card round or the conference championship. Thus, as before, a divisional champion could only play

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6396-401: The Eastern Division championship. Semifinal playoff games were held in 1949, setting up a championship final between the first-place Browns and the second-place San Francisco 49ers . In 1948, the Browns became the first professional football team to complete an entire season undefeated and untied — 24 years before the 1972 Miami Dolphins of the NFL would accomplish the task, but this feat

6519-404: The Eastern Division in 1966 and the Cincinnati Bengals joining the Western Division in 1968. The league until 1969 kept using the one-game-playoff format except when division tie-breakers were needed. In its final season, 1969, the AFL adopted a four-team playoff to determine its champion. Following the NFL and AFL Championship Games for the 1966 through 1969 seasons, the NFL champion played

6642-471: The Eastern champion at 11–3–0, did not play that week. The championship game was then held on its originally scheduled date, January 2, 1966—the first time the NFL champion was crowned in January. Green Bay won both post-season games at home, beating the injury-riddled Colts (with third-string QB Tom Matte ) in overtime by a controversial field goal, and taking the title 23–12 on a very muddy field (in what turned out to be Jim Brown 's final NFL game). For

6765-406: The Ed Thorp trophy that accompanied the league title should the championship game result in a tie. Sudden death overtime was finally approved for the NFL championship game in 1946 and has remained in effect ever since. The first playoff game requiring overtime was the 1958 NFL Championship Game . The 1955 and 1960 NFL championship games were played on Monday afternoons, Christmas having fallen on

6888-432: The Hampden Watch Company quickly became two of Canton's largest employers. In 1888, the companies' first year in Canton, they employed 2,300 Canton residents. In 1890, Canton's population was 26,337. Thanks to these two companies, Canton became an important center for watch manufacturing in the United States. In 1927 the company went bankrupt, finally ceasing operations in the city in 1930. The machinery and tools were sold to

7011-472: The NFL had no playoff system or championship game: the champion was the team with the best record during the season as determined by winning percentage, with ties excluded. This sometimes led to very unusual results, as teams played anywhere from six to twenty league games in a season, and not all teams played the same number of games or against league talent. As a result, in the league's first six seasons, four league titles were disputed and had to be resolved by

7134-424: The NFL in 1950 ), but AAFC Championship Games and records are not included in the NFL's record books. The AFL began play in 1960 and, like its rival league, used a playoff system to determine its champion. From 1966 to 1969 , prior to the merger in 1970, the NFL and the AFL agreed to hold an undisputed Championship Game called the AFL-NFL World Championship Game (renamed the Super Bowl after 1968). Following

7257-399: The NFL's Packers , the last two by the AFL 's New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs , leaving the leagues even at 2–2 in "Championship" competition when they subsequently merged. All participants in those four AFL-NFL championship games were either AFL champions or NFL champions in the record books, no matter the outcome of the Super Bowl. Three of the four league champions who lost one of

7380-456: The Notre Dame All-Stars that gave professional football legitimacy over college football. Part of the controversy over these older championships stems from the criteria the league used to determine its champion. The league used a variation of win percentage as its criterion, in which the number of wins is divided by the sum of wins and losses, and ties were excluded. The league began considering ties in its standings in 1972, counting them as half

7503-462: The Ohio federal courtroom: "At his trial he admitted the charges against him, declaring he would not retract a word he had uttered to save himself from going to the penitentiary for the rest of his days. Before sentence was passed on him, Debs said to the Court: ' Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there

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7626-405: The Pro Football Hall of Fame Grand Parade. The festival culminates in the enshrinement of the new inductees and the NFL/Hall of Fame Game, a pre-season exhibition between teams representing the AFC and NFC at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium . Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, used during the regular season by Canton McKinley High School (as well as some other area schools and colleges), was rated

7749-408: The Spartans record of 6–1–4 and the Bears record of 6–1–6 taken to be six wins, one loss, while the Green Bay Packers finished 10–3–1. Had pure win–loss differential or the current (post-1972) system of counting ties as half a win, half a loss been in place in 1932, the Packers' record of 10–3–1 (.750, +7) would have won them a fourth consecutive championship, ahead of the Spartans' 6–1–4 (.727, +5) and

7872-484: The United States, employment in the manufacturing sector is in a state of decline. LTV Steel (formerly Republic Steel ) suffered bankruptcy in 2000. Republic Steel emerged and continues to maintain operations in Canton. Hoover Company , a major employer for decades in the region, reached an agreement to sell Hoover to Hong Kong-based Techtronic Industries . The main plant in nearby North Canton closed its doors in September 2007 due to classified reasons. On June 30, 2014,

7995-409: The West/National in odd years. If there was a tie for first place within the conference, an extra playoff game decided who would go to the NFL Championship Game, with a coin toss deciding where the game would be played. (This occurred nine times in these 34 seasons: 1941 , 1943 , 1947 , 1950 (both conferences), 1952 , 1957 , 1958 , and 1965 .) This last occurred during the 1965 season , when

8118-416: The championship game during the first three was determined just as it was in the NFL—a divisional rotation. In 1949, the league held a four-team playoff, with home field based upon won-lost record. The Browns, led by Quarterback Otto Graham , won all four of the league championship games. A tiebreaker playoff game was played in 1948 to break a tie between the Baltimore Colts and Buffalo Bills (AAFC) for

8241-595: The city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 80,806 people, 32,489 households, and 19,785 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,932.1 people per square mile (1,518.2/km ). There were 35,502 housing units at an average density of 1,728.0 per square mile (667.2/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 74.5% White , 21.0% African American , 0.5% Native American , 0.3% Asian , nil% Pacific Islander , 0.6% from other races , and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.2% of

8364-427: The city was 69.1% White , 24.2% African American , 0.5% Native American , 0.3% Asian , 1.0% from other races , and 4.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.6% of the population. There were 29,705 households, of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.8% were married couples living together, 21.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had

8487-474: The city's industry diversified into the service economy , including retailing, education, finance and healthcare . Canton is chiefly notable for being the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the birthplace of the National Football League . 25th U.S. President William McKinley conducted the famed front porch campaign , which won him the presidency of the United States in the 1896 election , from his home in Canton. The McKinley National Memorial and

8610-454: The city. Furthering this downtown development, in June 2016, Canton became one of the first cities in Ohio to allow the open consumption of alcoholic beverages in a "designated outdoor refreshment area" pursuant to a state law enacted in 2015. Canton was founded in 1805, incorporated as a village in 1822, and reincorporated as a city in 1838. The plat of Canton was recorded at New Lisbon , Ohio, on November 15, 1805, by Bezaleel Wells ,

8733-468: The company moved to Canton as the automobile industry began to overtake the carriage industry. Timken and his two sons chose this location because of its proximity to the American car manufacturing centers of Detroit and Cleveland and the American steel-making centers of Pittsburgh and Cleveland. By 1960, Timken had operations in the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, France, South Africa, Australia and Brazil. The company changed its corporate structure in 2014;

8856-580: The decline of the heavy manufacturing industry . At the heart of this transformation is the Pro Football Hall of Fame , with its multimillion-dollar "Hall of Fame Village" expansion project. This project has been complemented with significant investments by city leaders in urban redevelopment, which continued with the transformation of the Hotel Onesto into the Historic Onesto Lofts. Other urban renewal plans are underway, which include

8979-509: The division winner with the worst regular-season record in each conference, would then host the 6 seed in the Wild Card Playoffs. In each conference, the matchup between the 3 and 6 seeds in the wild-card round dictated where the wild-card round winners traveled to for the divisional round: Canton, Ohio Canton ( / ˈ k æ n t ən / ) is a city in and the county seat of Stark County, Ohio , United States. It

9102-799: The early 1900s, including the Canton Terriers in the 1920s and 1930s. The Canton–Akron Indians were the AA affiliate of the major league Cleveland Indians for nine years, playing at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium until the team relocated north to Akron following the 1996 season. Two independent minor league teams, the Canton Crocodiles and the Canton Coyotes , both members of the Frontier League, called Munson Stadium home for several years afterward. The Crocodiles, who won

9225-735: The early 1920s. It formally organized in 1923, having previously consisted of two separate companies: the Dueber Watch Case Company and the Hampden Watch Company. In 1886, John Dueber, the owner of the Dueber Watch Case Company, purchased a controlling interest in the Hampden Watch Company. In 1888, he relocated the Hampden Watch Company from Springfield, Massachusetts and the Dueber Watch Case Company from Newport, Kentucky to Canton, Ohio. These two companies shared manufacturing facilities in Canton but remained two separate companies. The Dueber Watch Case Company and

9348-439: The end of the season, Elliott Fisher purchased the Bulldogs and moved the team to Detroit, renaming them the Detroit Wolverines . The 1928 Wolverines team consisted of 12 former Bulldogs players. Before the 1929 season, Tim Mara , owner of the New York Giants , purchased the entire Wolverines squad, including Benny Friedman, and absorbed the team into his New York Giants franchise. Eight former Bulldogs players ended up playing for

9471-582: The exact location in the Hupmobile showroom where the NFL was created in 1920. On December 6, 1959, the Canton Repository , a local newspaper, called for city officials to lobby the National Football League to create a football hall of fame in the community. Canton officials formally proposed their city as site for the hall of fame in 1961. The NFL quickly agreed to the city's proposal. To help convince NFL officials to locate

9594-587: The first four Super Bowls would eventually win at least one. The exception is the Minnesota Vikings which went to three others and lost all of them. After the 1969 season and Super Bowl IV , the AFL and NFL fully merged and underwent a re-alignment for the 1970 season. Three of the pre-merger NFL teams were transferred to the AFC ( Browns , Colts , and Steelers ) to level the conferences ( AFC and NFC ) at 13 teams each; each conference split into three divisions. With only six division winners in

9717-488: The folded Kansas City Cowboys franchise. Deutsch returned as the principal owner of this new Cleveland Bulldogs club. He, along with fellow investors Max Rosenblum , Brandt, Harold Gould, and Clinton Winfrey , built the new Bulldogs around native Clevelander Benny Friedman , a star quarterback at the University of Michigan . The team finished fourth in the National Football League this season, with an 8–4–1 record. At

9840-482: The forerunner of the modern National Football League , was founded in a Canton car dealership on September 17, 1920. The Canton Bulldogs were an NFL football team that played from 1920 to 1923, skipped the 1924 season, then played 1925 to 1926 before folding. Canton is the home of the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival, which includes a hot air balloon festival , ribs burn-off, fashion show, community parade, Sunday morning race, enshrinee dinner, and

9963-491: The hall of fame in Canton, city officials donated several acres of land on Canton's north side to the project. Local residents also raised almost $ 400,000 to help construct the hall of fame. The Pro Football Hall of Fame formally opened on September 7, 1963. Initially the museum consisted of two buildings, but in 1971, 1978, 1995, and 2013, the Pro Football Hall of Fame experienced several expansions. As of 2013,

10086-482: The issue wasn't settled until the owners' meeting in January, when the owners voted for Cleveland to take the title. The owners also decided at that meeting that the 1925 season would run through December 20. In 1925, several Canton businessmen purchased the rights to the old Canton Bulldogs team from Deutsch for $ 3,000. The Bulldogs, now known as the Canton Bulldogs, played in Canton during the 1925 and 1926 seasons. However Deutsch continued to call his Cleveland franchise

10209-589: The last game "post-season", giving the Bulldogs their third consecutive league title. The fourth and final disputed title was the 1925 NFL Championship controversy between the Pottsville Maroons and the Chicago Cardinals . The Maroons had been controversially suspended by the league at the end of the 1925 NFL season for an unauthorized game against a non-NFL team, allowing the Cardinals to throw together two fairly easy matches (one against

10332-564: The league championship in their inaugural season in 1997, moved to Washington, Pennsylvania, in 2002, and the Coyotes moved to Columbia, Missouri, in 2003, after just one season in Canton. Cleveland Bulldogs The Cleveland Bulldogs were a team that played in Cleveland, Ohio in the National Football League . They were originally called the Indians in 1923, not to be confused with

10455-464: The league championship. Since the game counted in the standings, Portsmouth finished third behind Green Bay. A number of new rule changes were instituted, many inspired by the 1932 indoor championship game: the goal posts were moved forward to the goal line, every play started from between the hash marks, and forward passes could originate from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage (instead of five yards behind). The playoff game proved so popular that

10578-480: The league reorganized into two divisions for the 1933 season, with the winners advancing to a scheduled championship game. Starting in 1933 , the NFL decided its champion through a single postseason playoff game, called the NFL Championship Game . During this period, the league divided its teams into two groups, through 1949 as divisions and from 1950 onward as conferences . Home field for

10701-671: The league's executive committee. In 1920, the Akron Pros went undefeated, tying three games, but two teams that had won more games (and who had both tied Akron), the Buffalo All-Americans and Decatur Staleys , petitioned the league for a share of the title; both teams' petitions were denied, and Akron was awarded the first (and only) Brunswick-Balke Collender Cup . According to modern tie-breaking rules, Akron and Buffalo would be co-champions. Akron and Buffalo both awarded their team members with gold medallions . The next

10824-551: The many speeches at the park by other prominent historical figures, and honors the park's continued importance as a gathering place for the community. The Timken Company has been among the largest employers in Canton for nearly 100 years. In 1898, Henry Timken obtained a patent for the tapered roller bearing , and in 1899 incorporated as the Timken Roller Bearing Axle Company in St. Louis . In 1901,

10947-553: The merger in 1970, the Super Bowl name continued as the game to determine the NFL champion. The most important factor of the merger was that all ten AFL teams joined the NFL in 1970 , while all AFL Championship Games and records are included in NFL record books. The former NFL Championship Game became the NFC Championship Game , while the former AFL Championship Game became the AFC Championship Game . The NFL lists

11070-607: The military and naval forces of the United States.” Debs' trial began on September 10, 1918, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio . On September 12, 1918, a jury found Debs guilty. He was sentenced to ten years in prison. On March 10, 1919, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of Debs' conviction in Debs v. United States . Debs began serving his prison sentence on April 13, 1919, and remained incarcerated until December 25, 1921, when he

11193-400: The museum consisted of five buildings, covering 118,000 square feet. Since its founding, over 10 million people have visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame. "Welcome to Canton" is the official way of saying congratulations to a new enshrinee. Canton is located at an elevation of 1,060 feet (323 m). Nimishillen Creek and its East, Middle and West Branches flow through the city. Canton

11316-417: The museum off-site to libraries, parochial schools, area public schools, five inner city schools and a school for students with behavioral disorders. The city's Arts District, located downtown, is the site of monthly First Friday arts celebrations. Canton has the main branch of Stark County District Library. Canton is home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame . The American Professional Football Association ,

11439-413: The newly merged league, the NFL designed an eight-team playoff tournament, with four clubs from each conference qualifying. Along with the three division winners in each conference, two wild card teams (one from each conference), the second-place finishers with the best records in each conference, were added to the tournament. The first round was named the "Divisional Playoffs", the winners advancing to

11562-727: The number one high school football venue in America by the Sporting News in 2002. This may be partly attributable to the Bulldogs' rivalry with the nearby Massillon Washington High School Tigers . All seven of the Ohio High School Athletic Association state final football games are hosted in Canton at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. The Canton Legends played in the American Indoor Football Association at

11685-402: The old AFL/NFL championship games with "new" AFC/NFC championship games in its record books. The Green Bay Packers have won the most NFL championship titles with 13 (nine pre-Super Bowl era and four Super Bowls, including the first two AFL-NFL World Championship Games). The Chicago Bears have won the second most overall championships with nine (eight pre-Super Bowl era and one Super Bowl) and

11808-405: The population. There were 32,489 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.1% were married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

11931-676: The redevelopment of the downtown Market Square area. Private investment has furthered Canton's transformation, which is illustrated by the multimillion-dollar creation of the Gervasi Vineyard, which draws patrons throughout the region. In furtherance of these development initiatives, Canton was one of the first cities in Ohio to create a "designated outdoor refreshment area" legalizing the possession and consumption of " open container " alcoholic beverages in its downtown area. According to Canton's 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report,

12054-419: The regular season until 1974 . In 1975 , the league modified its 1970 playoff format by instituting a seeding system . The surviving clubs with the higher seeds were made the home teams for each playoff round. The three division champions in each conference were seeded first through third based on their regular-season records, with the wild-card team in each conference as the fourth seed. Teams that earned

12177-492: The roller bearing-producing part of the company was separated from the steel-producing part of the company, resulting in two separate companies. The Timken Company continues to manufacture roller bearings, while TimkenSteel produces steel. Today, TimkenSteel remains headquartered in Canton and employs 2,800 people, most of them in Northeast Ohio. The company makes special bar quality steel, used in applications all over

12300-457: The standings, however in 1924 this was against the NFL's rules. In July 1924, NFL owners had agreed on a proposal that the 1924 NFL season would begin on September 27 and end on November 30. Ironically, as it turned out, the proposal was made by Dutch Sternaman , co-owner of the Bears. On the official end date, Cleveland had a 7–1–1 record to Bears' 6–1–4. Ties didn't count at all in those days, so

12423-576: The street name (e.g. Tuscarawas St W, 55th Street NE). Typically within the city numbered streets run east and west and radiate from the Tuscarawas Street baseline, while named avenues run north and south. The Ridgewood Historic District is a historic residential neighborhood in Canton that, due to its architectural significance, was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 19, 1982. The neighborhood consists of preserved, architect-designed Revival style buildings of

12546-645: The suburbs. The majority of the Canton area's "box store" retail is located in the general vicinity of the Belden Village Mall in Jackson Township . However, the 2010s saw the downtown area bringing in new cafes, restaurants, and the establishment of an arts district. A few retail centers remain in Canton at or near the city limits. Tuscarawas Street (Lincoln Way), a leg of the Lincoln Highway connecting Canton with nearby Massillon ,

12669-830: The ten-year lease ended. The Canton Invaders of the National Professional Soccer League II and American Indoor Soccer Association played home games at the Canton Memorial Civic Center from 1984 until 1996, winning five league championships. In 2009, the Ohio Vortex became an expansion team in the Professional Arena Soccer League . Operations have since been suspended. Canton has been home to professional baseball on several occasions. A number of minor league teams called Canton home in

12792-417: The third, and the second versus the fourth. The league expanded the playoffs to 10 teams in 1978 , adding a second wild-card team (a fifth seed) from each conference. The two wild-card teams from each conference (the fourth and fifth seeds) played each other in the first round, called the "Wild Card Playoffs." The division winners (the first three seeds) would then receive a bye to automatically advance to

12915-497: The time it was the longest professional football championship game ever played. Also in 1963, an Eastern Division playoff was needed to determine the division winner between the Boston Patriots and Buffalo Bills . In 1966, the success of the rival AFL, the spectre of the NFL's losing more stars to the AFL, and concern over a costly "bidding war" for players precipitated by the NFL's Giants' signing of Pete Gogolak , who

13038-533: The title as their own, a decision that continues to be disputed, with the Bidwills opposing any change in the record and the two current Pennsylvania teams in favor. The league recognized the Bidwills' claim to the title and has taken no other action on the issue, although a self-made championship trophy from the Maroons sits in the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Ironically, it was Pottsville's win in that game against

13161-497: The top employers in the city are: The Canton Museum of Art , founded in 1935, is a broad-based community arts organization designed to encourage and promote the fine arts in Canton. The museum focuses on 19th- and 20th-century American artists, specifically works on paper, and on American ceramics , beginning in the 1950s. The museum sponsors annual shows of work of high school students in Canton and Stark County, and financial scholarships are awarded. Educational outreach programs take

13284-419: The top seed became known as clinching " home-field advantage " throughout the playoffs, since they played all of their playoff games at their home stadium (except for the Super Bowl, played at a neutral site). However, the league continued to prohibit meetings between teams from the same division in the Divisional Playoffs. Thus, there would be times when the pairing in that round would pit the first seed versus

13407-536: The week after the NFL championship game. The NFL now classifies these contests as exhibition games and does not include the records, participants, or results in the official league playoff statistics. The Playoff Bowl was discontinued after the AFL–NFL merger ; the final edition was played in January 1970. Starting with the 1934 game the winning team received the Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy . The trophy

13530-420: The world. The Timken Co. is now headquartered in Jackson Township , a suburb of Canton, and employs 14,000 people around the world. The company designs, engineers, manufactures and sells bearings, transmissions, gearboxes, chain and related products, and offers a spectrum of power system rebuild and repair services around the globe. The Dueber-Hampden Watch Company was an important employer in Canton during

13653-412: Was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.04. In the city the age distribution of the population shows 26.6% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.9 males. The median income for

13776-727: Was announced on June 8, 1966, and became fully effective in 1970. After expanding to enfranchise the New Orleans Saints in 1967 , the NFL split its 16 teams into two conferences with two divisions each: the Capitol and Century Divisions in the Eastern Conference , and the Coastal and Central Divisions in the Western Conference . The playoff format was expanded from a single championship game to

13899-451: Was emphasized that this did not apply to the final championship game, which would crown co-champions in the event of a tie. While a shared championship was deemed an acceptable solution, it must have become obvious that an elimination game leading to the championship must necessarily produce a winner. Commissioner Elmer Layden approved a similar arrangement for the 1941 season, with the same limitation. A coin toss would decide possession of

14022-588: Was held in Canton in November 1977 and was called the Ohio Regional Women's Physique Championship. For 10 seasons, Canton was home to an NBA G League team, the Canton Charge , which started play with the 2011–12 season and home games at the Canton Memorial Civic Center . The Cleveland Cavaliers had full control over the franchise and relocated the franchise in to Cleveland in 2021 when

14145-468: Was home to 401,574 residents in 2020. Founded in 1805 alongside the Middle and West Branches of Nimishillen Creek , Canton became a heavy manufacturing center because of its numerous railroad lines. However, its status in that regard began to decline during the late 20th century, as shifts in the manufacturing industry led to the relocation or downsizing of many factories and workers. After this decline,

14268-479: Was in the 1921 NFL season , between the same All-Americans and Staleys (with the latter now being based in Chicago). Buffalo had insisted that the last matchup between the two was an exhibition game not to be counted toward the standings, however, Chicago owner George Halas and league management insisted the game be counted in its standings (the league, at the time, did not recognize exhibition matches). The result

14391-604: Was named after Ed Thorp, a noted referee, rules expert, and sporting goods dealer. Thorp died in 1934 and a large, traveling trophy was made that year, passed along from champion to champion each season with each championship team's name inscribed on it. Teams would also receive a replica trophy. The trophy was last awarded to the Minnesota Vikings in 1969. Late in the 1940 season, NFL President Carl Storck announced that sudden death periods would be authorized for any playoff game needed to decide either division title. It

14514-552: Was only one seven-team division, so the championship game was the final round of a four team tournament. With its creation in 1960, the AFL determined its champion via a single playoff game between the winners of its two divisions, the Eastern and Western . The AFL Championship games featured classics such as the 1962 double-overtime championship game between the Dallas Texans and the defending champion Houston Oilers . At

14637-503: Was prosecuting attorney of Stark County from 1869 to 1871. The city was his home during his successful campaign for Ohio governor, the site of his front-porch presidential campaign of 1896 and the campaign of 1900 . Canton is now the site of the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum and the McKinley National Memorial , dedicated in 1907. President McKinley's impact on Canton as his adopted home

14760-483: Was released after President Warren Harding commuted his sentence to time served. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision affirming Debs' conviction was sharply criticized by legal scholars at the time and is generally regarded as a low point in First Amendment jurisprudence. The lead author of the opinion, progressive Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes , later changed course that same term and authored

14883-541: Was set on January 19, 1994. Canton's street layout forms the basis for the system of addresses in Stark County. Canton proper is divided into address quadrants (NW, NE, SW, SE) by Tuscarawas Street (dividing N and S) and Market Avenue (dividing E and W). Due to shifts in the street layout, the E–W divider becomes Cleveland Avenue south of the city, merging onto Ridge Road farther out. The directionals are noted as suffixes to

15006-491: Was that although the two teams were effectively tied in the standings, the disputed game, having been played later, was given more weight and thus ended up being considered a de facto championship game. Chicago also had one fewer tie game. A nearly identical situation recurred in 1924 , when Chicago tried the same tactic of a final game against the Cleveland Bulldogs , but the league ruled the opposite and declared

15129-487: Was under contract to the AFL's Buffalo Bills , led the two leagues to discuss a merger . Pivotal to this was approval by Congress of a law (PL 89-800) that would waive jeopardy to anti-trust statutes for the merged leagues. The major point of the testimony given by the leagues to obtain the law was that if the merger were permitted, "Professional football operations will be preserved in the 23 cities and 25 stadiums where such operations are presently being conducted." The merger

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