Ohio grant to help Hall of Fame preserve iconic Joe Namath artifact
Artifacts
Published on : 3/18/2024
One of the most iconic pieces in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s collection will be refurbished, and later returned to public viewing, thanks in part to a special state program.
The museum recently received notification it would receive one of the 14 awards the Ohio History Connection is making through its 2024 Ohio History Fund Grant cycle. A formal check presentation was held Monday in the “Super Bowl Gallery“ at the Hall of Fame in Canton.
The grant, for the restor
ation and conservation of Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Namath’s knee brace, was presented by Megan Wood, executive director and CEO of Ohio History Connection, to Jon Kendle, Vice President of Museum and Archives at the Hall.
“We are so pleased to be here today to present you with a check for the conservation of this great object,” Wood said. “The Ohio History Fund has been around since 2012 and is funded by people who give a donation on their Ohio state income tax. We are giving out $186,000 this year and have given away $1.4 million since 2012. To be able to support projects like this throughout our great state is a great pleasure to us.”
The matching grant from the state totaled $3,552, almost 60 percent of the $6,226 estimated cost for restoration and conservation of Namath’s knee brace. The Hall of Fame will pay the remainder from museum funds.
Considered the first “functional” knee brace (designed to provide stability for an unstable knee joint), the device was developed and patented by Dr. Jack Castiglia of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York in 1969 and is a prototype for knee braces prescribed in orthopedic therapies today.
The months-long project to restore and conserve the brace involves a seven-step process that will include the use of Japanese paper and an acrylic emulsion to repair deteriorating pieces of synthetic material on the brace.
“It’s medical history, and football history and materials history,” observed Wood.
Because of the brace’s condition, it had been removed from public exhibit. It had been among items commemorating the Jets’ upset victory in Super Bowl III.
“Our thanks go to the Ohio History Connection, the Ohio History Fund and all the reviewers that worked on the grant process,” said Jason Aikens, Curator of Collections at the Hall of Fame.
“I know that is a lot of work for everyone. This will be a great project and will get our Joe Namath knee brace back on exhibit for the public to enjoy,” he added.
Aikens described the item as one of the most iconic artifacts in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s collection.
ICA Art Conservation in Cleveland will perform the restoration and conservation work. For more on the organization, click here.
Wood said the average taxpayer donation to the Ohio History Fund is $12.
No direct state tax money is used for the grants. Nonprofits and public entities (history organizations, museums, schools and the like) are eligible to apply. For more information about the program, click here.
(Pictured at top, left to right: Pro Football Hall of Fame Vice President of Finance and Accounting Matt Clapper, Hall of Fame Vice President of Museum and Archives Jon Kendle, Hall of Fame Curator of Collections Jason Aikens, Ohio History Connection Board of Trustees Member Steve Coon, Ohio History Connection Board of Trustees Member Jon Elsasser and Ohio History Connection Executive Director and CEO Megan Wood.)
The museum recently received notification it would receive one of the 14 awards the Ohio History Connection is making through its 2024 Ohio History Fund Grant cycle. A formal check presentation was held Monday in the “Super Bowl Gallery“ at the Hall of Fame in Canton.
The grant, for the restor
ation and conservation of Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Namath’s knee brace, was presented by Megan Wood, executive director and CEO of Ohio History Connection, to Jon Kendle, Vice President of Museum and Archives at the Hall.“We are so pleased to be here today to present you with a check for the conservation of this great object,” Wood said. “The Ohio History Fund has been around since 2012 and is funded by people who give a donation on their Ohio state income tax. We are giving out $186,000 this year and have given away $1.4 million since 2012. To be able to support projects like this throughout our great state is a great pleasure to us.”
The matching grant from the state totaled $3,552, almost 60 percent of the $6,226 estimated cost for restoration and conservation of Namath’s knee brace. The Hall of Fame will pay the remainder from museum funds.
Considered the first “functional” knee brace (designed to provide stability for an unstable knee joint), the device was developed and patented by Dr. Jack Castiglia of Lenox Hill Hospital in New York in 1969 and is a prototype for knee braces prescribed in orthopedic therapies today.
The months-long project to restore and conserve the brace involves a seven-step process that will include the use of Japanese paper and an acrylic emulsion to repair deteriorating pieces of synthetic material on the brace.
“It’s medical history, and football history and materials history,” observed Wood.
Because of the brace’s condition, it had been removed from public exhibit. It had been among items commemorating the Jets’ upset victory in Super Bowl III.
“Our thanks go to the Ohio History Connection, the Ohio History Fund and all the reviewers that worked on the grant process,” said Jason Aikens, Curator of Collections at the Hall of Fame.
“I know that is a lot of work for everyone. This will be a great project and will get our Joe Namath knee brace back on exhibit for the public to enjoy,” he added.
Aikens described the item as one of the most iconic artifacts in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s collection.
ICA Art Conservation in Cleveland will perform the restoration and conservation work. For more on the organization, click here.
Wood said the average taxpayer donation to the Ohio History Fund is $12.
No direct state tax money is used for the grants. Nonprofits and public entities (history organizations, museums, schools and the like) are eligible to apply. For more information about the program, click here.
(Pictured at top, left to right: Pro Football Hall of Fame Vice President of Finance and Accounting Matt Clapper, Hall of Fame Vice President of Museum and Archives Jon Kendle, Hall of Fame Curator of Collections Jason Aikens, Ohio History Connection Board of Trustees Member Steve Coon, Ohio History Connection Board of Trustees Member Jon Elsasser and Ohio History Connection Executive Director and CEO Megan Wood.)
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