If there’s one thing that unites communities across America, it’s high school football.

What You Need To Know

As Ohio crowns its high school football champions this week, there’s now another milestone players can dream about

The National High School Football Hall of Fame is getting its first permanent home in Brook Park, near the future Cleveland Browns stadium

The 55,000-square-foot, interactive museum will honor the stories, legends and history of high school football nationwide

Ohio is heavily represented in the Hall’s early induction classes, with about 36% of all honorees having Ohio ties

Construction could begin as early as next summer, with plans to open the facility to the public in late 2028

Former Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Tom Cousineau knows that better than most. He played at every level — the NFL, CFL and college — but said nothing compares to where it all started: Friday nights at St. Edward High School. He said high school football is what truly defines communities.

Tom Cousineau, former Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker at the 2025 induction ceremony. (Provided)

“It’s a different thing… families and community and for the love,” Cousineau said. “Homecoming, there are so many things that are part, that go into what is high school football and it’s amazing. I think that generally speaking our best friends are our old friends, you know, and so in my case, the group of guys that I played with at Saint Edward High School, [they’re] amazing.”

Thanks to the National High School Football Hall of Fame, Cousineau is now being honored for those early accomplishments. He’s a member of the Hall of Fame’s 2025 induction class.

“I was really humbled and really honored,” Cousineau said. “You think about all the boys that played football in this country, high school football in this country, it’s millions… It’s amazing.”

Soon, his story and thousands of others will fill a new 55,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in Brook Park. Founder and CEO LaMont Robinson said it won’t be a typical museum. Original plans called for 40,000 square feet, but the design has already expanded to 55,000 — and could grow even larger.

“It’s going to be highly interactive, virtual reality. We’re not building a funeral parlor with lights. We are building an experience,” Robinson said. “We’re also going to be promoting women in football. You got a lot of executives in the NFL. You got some coaches, then you got women playing football. So we want to take advantage of that, and as well as promote that. So you know we’re going to do that at the highest level because women play a major role in sports.”

Robinson — a former professional basketball player and Harlem Globetrotter who also founded the American Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame — said the goal is to elevate the high school level, where many players get their start and where many others peak.

National High School Football Hall of Fame Logo. (Provided)

“Everybody’s not going to high school, everybody’s not going to college, everybody’s not going to Canton, but this just gives ballplayers another great opportunity,” Robinson said. “Some guys never went no farther than high school and had tremendous high school careers, you know, and so they should be noted for it, as well as the coaches.”

The Hall of Fame has existed on paper since 2010 and held its first induction ceremony in 2023. Robinson said choosing the right location for a physical building mattered, and Ohio was the obvious choice. He said the state has produced countless greats, including Bernie Kosar, the Hall’s ambassador. Many athletes, he said, don’t need to leave Ohio to find success.

“Pro football was born in Canton, Ohio, but high school football lives in the state of Ohio,” Robinson said. “And, you know, great tradition. We have great football players, coaches, we have some of the best of the best.”

Cousineau agrees that Ohio doesn’t just love football — it defines it.

“I put Ohio football, Cleveland football up against any, you name it, down in Texas, out in California, doesn’t matter,” Cousineau said. “In the high school realm, Ohio is very dominant.”

From pros to college and now high school, there’s a Hall of Fame at every level, preserving the legends, rivalries and hometown heroes that shape generations.

Tom Cousineau, former Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker. (Provided)

“We need to preserve this history so the people behind us can see what we’ve done or what people have done to be inspired,” Robinson said. “So what we try to do is just give people another chance to see and to be able to shine at the highest light.”

When will it open?

Construction plans are being finalized. Robinson said the hope is to break ground as early as next summer and open to the public in late 2028.

Ohio well-represented in induction classes

In the class of 2025, nine of the 37 inductees have ties to Ohio.

The 2026 induction class — announced Wednesday — includes six inductees from Ohio, including Lee Tressel, father of Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel. That ceremony will be held in Brook Park on July 11, 2026.

Across the first four years, including the 2026 class, there are about 41 inductees from Ohio out of 114 total — meaning roughly 36% of all inductees so far have Ohio connections.