Hall of Fame Game History & Full List of Winners

With the latest installment of the Hall of Fame Game set for Thursday night, Aug. 1, here's the backstory and history of the game, along with the full list of past winners.

Aug 3, 2023; Canton, Ohio, USA; A detail of the endzone pylon before the game between the Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 installment of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game is set for Thursday, Aug. 1 when the Chicago Bears take on the Houston Texans to begin Enshrinement Week in Canton, OH. and formally kickoff the NFL preseason.

While NFL fans are familiar with the annual game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, many do not know the history behind the event.

Here's everything fans need to know about the Hall of Fame Game and the fun tradition that welcomes football back into the fold for the fall.

When Was the First Hall of Fame Game?

The first Hall of Fame Game was held on Aug. 11, 1962 when the New York Giants played against the St. Louis Cardinals. The game was held to commemorate the groundbreaking of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. The teams played to a 21-21 tie.

The game was so popular that a new tradition was born, and the game has been held annually ever since to kick off the preseason.

Has the Hall of Fame Game Always Been Played in August?

It actually has not. In fact, in the early days of the Hall of Fame Game, the matchup would take place not only in August, but even in July or September. The last non-August edition of the Hall of Fame Game was on July 31, 2000 when the New England Patriots defeated the San Francisco 49ers 20-0.

Has There Ever Been a Hall of Fame Game Cancellation?

The game has been cancelled, or simply not held, on four different occasions since the game's inception. There was no Hall of Fame Game in 1966 due to the AFL-NFL merger. In 2011, the game was not played thanks to the labor dispute between the owners and the NFL Players Association on a new collective bargaining agreement.

The third occurrence, and perhaps most controversial, was in 2016 when the game was formally cancelled just over an hour before kickoff due to subpar field conditions. The paint that was used for the logos on the field and in the end zones had a reaction to the newly installed turf at Tom Benson Field, leading to a slick playing surface that was determined to be unsafe for the players. Stadium personnel tried to remedy the issue on the morning of kickoff, but could not get the field ready in time, leading to a late cancellation a disaster for the NFL.

The fourth and final time that the game has not been held since its inception in 1962 was in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers was carried forward to the 2021 Hall of Fame Game.

A New Tradition Was Born in 2011

Historically, the teams picked to play in the Hall of Fame Game were selected by the NFL in advance of the announcement of the full preseason schedule. Typically, the announcement of the franchises competing in the Hall of Fame Game is delivered when the individuals selected for the Hall of Fame are formally announced.

Beginning in 2011, the league started a new tradition of selecting teams for the Hall of Fame Game that had prominent players in franchise history being inducted into Canton that year. In 2024, Bears star return man Devin Hester and Texans star receiver Andre Johnson are both being enshrined, which is why these two teams were selected to play in the latest installment of the Hall of Fame Game.

How Many Current NFL Franchises Have Played in the Hall of Fame Game?

All 32 current NFL franchises have participated in the Hall of Fame Game. The Baltimore Ravens (formerly of Cleveland) were the last team remaining out of the 32 teams that had not played in a Hall of Fame Game before participating in the 2018 matchup against the Bears.

Which Teams Have Played in the Most Hall of Fame Games?

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys have each appeared in the Hall of Fame Game seven times. The teams last played in the Hall of Fame Game in 2021, against each other. The Steelers beat the Cowboys 16-3 in that matchup, which was the first Hall of Fame Game since '19 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Which Team Has Won the Most Hall of Fame Games?

Washington has won five Hall of Fame games, which is the most all-time. Their last win came in 2008 against the Indianapolis Colts, 30-16.

The Steelers, Bears and Raiders have each won four Hall of Fame games, and the Bears have a chance to pull into a tie with Washington for first in Hall of Fame Game wins with a victory over the Texans on Aug. 1.

Full List of Hall of Fame Game Matchups and Results

Here is the full list of Hall of Fame Game Matchups and Results:

Date	Away Team	Away Score	Home Team	Home Score	Note
Aug. 11, 1962	New York Giants	21	St. Louis Cardinals	21	First ever HOF Game
Sept. 11, 1963	Cleveland Browns	7	Pittsburgh Steelers	16
Sept. 6, 1964	Baltimore Colts	48	Pittsburgh Steelers	17
Sept. 12, 1965	Detroit Lions	3	Washington	20
1966					No game held due to AFL-NFL merger
Aug. 5, 1967	Cleveland Browns	13	Philadelphia Eagles	28
Aug. 3, 1968	Dallas Cowboys	24	Chicago Bears	30
Sept. 13, 1969	Green Bay Packers	38	Atlanta Falcons	24
Aug. 8, 1970	New Orleans Saints	14	Minnesota Vikings	13
July 31, 1971	Houston Oilers	6	Los Angeles Rams	17	First ever July HOF Game
July 29, 1972	Kansas City Chiefs	23	New York Giants	17
July 28, 1973	San Francisco 49ers	20	New England Patriots	7
July 27, 1974	Buffalo Bills	13	St. Louis Cardinals	21
Aug. 2, 1975	Washington	17	Cincinnati Bengals	9
July 24, 1976	Denver Broncos	10	Detroit Lions	7
July 30, 1977	Chicago Bears	20	New York Jets	6
July 29, 1978	Miami Dolphins	3	Philadelphia Eagles	17
July 28, 1979	Dallas Cowboys	13	Oakland Raiders	20
Aug. 2, 1980	San Diego Chargers	0	Green Bay Packers	0	Only scoreless tie in HOF Game history
Aug. 1, 1981	Atlanta Falcons	10	Cleveland Browns	24
Aug. 7, 1982	Baltimore Colts	14	Minnesota Vikings	30
July 30, 1983	New Orleans Saints	14	Pittsburgh Steelers	27
July 28, 1984	Seattle Seahawks	38	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	0
Aug. 3, 1985	New York Giants	21	Houston Oilers	20
Aug. 2, 1986	New England Patriots	21	St. Louis Cardinals	16
Aug. 8, 1987	San Francisco 49ers	20	Kansas City Chiefs	7
July 30, 1988	Cincinnati Bengals	14	Los Angeles Rams	7
Aug. 5, 1989	Washington	31	Buffalo Bills	6
Aug. 4, 1990	Cleveland Browns	0	Chicago Bears	13
July 27, 1991	Detroit Lions	14	Denver Broncos	3
Aug. 1, 1992	New York Jets	41	Philadelphia Eagles	14
July 31, 1993	Green Bay Packers	3	Los Angeles Raiders	19
July 30, 1994	San Diego Chargers	17	Atlanta Falcons	21
July 29, 1995	Carolina Panthers	20	Jacksonville Jaguars	14
July 27, 1996	Indianapolis Colts	10	New Orleans Saints	3
July 26, 1997	Minnesota Vikings	28	Seattle Seahawks	26
Aug. 1, 1998	Pittsburgh Steelers	6	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	30
Aug. 9, 1999	Dallas Cowboys	17	Cleveland Browns	20
July 31, 2000	New England Patriots	20	San Francisco 49ers	0	Final July matchup in HOF Game history
Aug. 6, 2001	St. Louis Rams	17	Miami Dolphins	10
Aug. 5, 2002	Houston Texans	17	New York Giants	34
Aug. 4, 2003	Green Bay Packers	0	Kansas City Chiefs	9
Aug. 9, 2004	Denver Broncos	17	Washington	20
Aug. 8, 2005	Chicago Bears	27	Miami Dolphins	24
Aug. 6, 2006	Oakland Raiders	16	Philadelphia Eagles	10
Aug. 5, 2007	New Orleans Saints	7	Pittsburgh Steelers	20
Aug. 3, 2008	Indianapolis Colts	16	Washington	30
Aug. 9, 2009	Buffalo Bills	18	Tennessee Titans	21
Aug. 8, 2010	Dallas Cowboys	16	Cincinnati Bengals	7
Aug. 7, 2011					Game cancelled due to NFL labor dispute lockout
Aug. 5, 2012	Arizona Cardinals	10	New Orleans Saints	17
Aug. 4, 2013	Miami Dolphins	20	Dallas Cowboys	24
Aug. 3, 2014	New York Giants	17	Buffalo Bills	13
Aug. 9, 2015	Pittsburgh Steelers	3	Minnesota Vikings	14
Aug. 7, 2016					Game cancelled due to unsafe field conditions
Aug. 3, 2017	Arizona Cardinals	18	Dallas Cowboys	20
Aug. 2, 2018	Chicago Bears	16	Baltimore Ravens	17	After Ravens appearance, all 32 NFL teams represented in HOF Game
Aug. 1, 2019	Denver Broncos	14	Atlanta Falcons	10
Aug. 6, 2020					Game cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
Aug. 5, 2021	Dallas Cowboys	3	Pittsburgh Steelers	16
Aug. 4, 2022	Jacksonville Jaguars	11	Las Vegas Raiders	27
Aug. 3, 2023	New York Jets	16	Cleveland Browns	21