ATLANTA — The College Football Hall of Fame will open an exhibit Dec. 13 showcasing the Goodyear Blimp's nearly 65-year history in college football.
The Goodyear Blimp, which has conducted aerial views of college football games for years, was honorarily inducted into the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame this year as the first non-player or coach to receive the honor.
The Atlanta-based hall of fame interactive exhibit space will feature blimp artifacts, including an original broadcast window and video footage from some of the sport's matchups.
"The Goodyear Blimp is intrinsically tied to the history and traditions of college football, and through this exhibit, we're offering fans a chance to experience the game in a way only this iconic airship could provide," Dennis Adamovich, CEO of the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame,said.
"It's only fitting that in its honorary induction year, we unveil an exhibit that celebrates the blimp's legacy, which has revolutionized the way fans experience the game they love."
Resembling the Goodyear Blimp's gondola (the space below the blimp that holds the passengers, crew and engine), the interactive exhibit offers "Blimp View" on-demand, where visitors can experience aerial views of college football's most iconic stadiums. The blimp's LED screen will display personalized messages for visitors and show aerial footage of marquee games dating from the 1950s to present day.
"Goodyear is honored to showcase this exhibit, which is emblematic of our more driven approach to everything we do," Todd Macsuga, Goodyear's general manager of brand marketing, said.
"We take great pride in being a leader of firsts, and the blimp's presence in college football has allowed us to be a leader in this area, bringing fans closer than ever to the sport. We look forward to driving innovation in aerial coverage for years to come."
What started as a request from network television to provide aerial coverage for the 1955 Rose Bowl Parade and Rose Bowl game telecasts has turned into a long-standing commitment to college football coverage, according to Goodyear. Since then, the blimp has covered more than 2,000 sports and entertainment events, including the Rose Bowl and the Cotton Bowl.
The Goodyear Blimp also achieved major broadcast "firsts" along the way, including being the first to provide aerial coverage of a major sports event and the first to deliver high definition live video from an aerial platform to a national sports game.
The National Football Foundation launched the College Hall of Fame in 1951 to immortalize the game's greatest players and coaches as positive role models for future generations.