‘Gridiron Glory’ exhibit for both diehards and enthusiasts

Viewers can experience what life can be like on a football field from many different angles

Chris Hunter, Reporter

It’s a chilly October day, people are beginning to bust out their jackets. Outside, families are scurrying to and from church, but you’re inside enjoying an outstanding overtime. Your favorite QB just threw a Doug Flutie-esque Hail Mary pass to the corner of the end zone in the waning seconds. Your celebration has been suspended as the referees are reviewing whether your stud wide receiver came down in bounds. Time has expired and it all comes down to those 60 seconds in the review booth. Dream’s over, going to have to wait until next year all because the ref botched the call. If only you had been the one under the curtains, you would have gotten the call right.

Well, thanks to sponsors like JP Morgan, you can! It will not affect the outcome of an NFL game, but it’s one of the many intriguing experiences you can enjoy at the “Gridiron Glory” exhibit at the Arizona Science Center in downtown Phoenix. Hurry though, you only have until May 3 to experience it.

From kicking field goals to seeing how your legs match up to a beast of a RB like Jerome Bettis, who used those massive trunks to rush his way into the NFL Hall of Fame, the interactivity in “Gridiron Glory” makes it enjoyable for all age groups.

An absolutely amazing display that guides the visitor through the history of the professional football. This exhibit is so artistically set that everyone from the diehard fan to those moms who don’t really care about football and only came to bring the kids can enjoy and learn something from this display.

The variety in this very niche specific show is both impressive and inspiring, while simultaneously being informative and imaginative. Did you know that playing football for money can trace its roots all the way back to Nov. 12, 1892. William “Pudge” Heffelfinger was paid $500 for playing in a game on that day. Professional Football’s “Birth Certificate” is on display.

To this day, 49 Super Bowls have been played, and at this exhibit you can stand a foot from an actual Lombardi trophy. Celebratory music plays as you step into a circular shrine. Coupled with the video, commentary, and sound clips you know, you have arrived! And you can also see a section on all the dynasties that have graces the annals of football history.

This magnificent model named “Gridiron Glory” also address the sociological history of football. One can see this in how it addresses the racial barriers in football’s midlife crisis. Also topics of honor and duty are brought to life when you see the military dress coat of local hero Pat Tillman, who left the Arizona Cardinals after the infamous Sept. 11 attack to join the Army Rangers.

Don’t miss this great exhibit. You have until May 3, but you know can find a couple hours this week, can’t you? There will be no regrets, unless you miss it.