Looks like the fans are finally getting their due.
The Ford Hall of Fans at the Pro Football Hall of Fame will welcome its first-ever fan honoree when one of three finalist “super fans” – Chicago Bears fan Dan Wachter, Pittsburgh Steelers fan Rick Holman, or Miami Dolphins fan Roger Avila – is selected to join the hallowed halls in Canton, Ohio.
Pro Football Hall of Fame President & CEO David Baker, following in the tradition of alerting former player, coach and owner inductees, will notify Wachter, Holman or Avila by giving a celebratory knock on the winning fan’s hotel room door.
The @Ford Hall of Fans at the Pro Football Hall of Fame will welcome its first-ever fan honoree when one of three finalist “super fans” are selected to join the hallowed halls in Canton, OH.
More: https://t.co/aeEDE5eUd8 pic.twitter.com/LCLKdjlkY3
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) January 29, 2019
All three will be staying at the same Atlanta hotel as former players – and Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019 finalists – Ed Reed, Tony Gonzalez and Champ Bailey, who will also be awaiting a knock on their door from Baker letting them know they are going to Canton.
Voters cast more than 170,000 ballots in online polling to help make Wachter, Holman and Avila the three finalists, following a search that began months ago in pro football markets across the country.
Wachter, 62, of Plainfield, Illinois, is a Bears season-ticket holder of 33 years. Known among Chicago football fans simply as “Bearman,” he paints his face and wears a bear’s head hat to games. From 1998 to 2004, Wachter fired up the home crowd by running onto Soldier Field carrying a large Bears flag before every game.
Holman, 39, of Beaver, Pennsylvania, is a high school history teacher, and an 18-year Steelers season-ticket holder. He has attended every game ever played at Heinz Field, including preseason, regular season and playoff games for 18 straight years. He traveled to attend the Steelers’ recent championship appearances in Detroit, Tampa and Dallas.
Avila, 56, of Miami, is a 24-year season-ticket holder known simply as “Dolfan Maniac.” As one of the faces of the organization, he appears frequently on TV during Dolphin broadcasts wearing his signature No. 40 Miami jersey in old-school white.
Other fans vying for a spot in the Ford Hall of Fans at the Pro Football Hall of Fame were Denver Broncos fan Merry Brannon of Aurora, Colorado; Detroit Lions fan Michael Banks of Southfield, Michigan; and Dallas Cowboys fan Stoney Kersch of Arlington, Texas.
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