A new exhibition, 90 Years of Community: The Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club, will open in the Paul Brown Museum at the Massillon Museum on August 19, 2024. It will honor the first nine decades of the organization’s support and projects that have contributes to a winning football program. Doors will open at 5:00 p.m. to coincide with the Massillon Tigers pep rally in Duncan Plaza, adjacent to the Museum. The exhibition will continue through January 12, 2025.

 

The Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club has spearheaded projects to ensure the football program has what it needs to be successful, both on and off the field. Projects have included improved facilities and equipment, financial support, and mentorships. The Booster Club’s community involvement assures that the Massillon Tiger football program is one of the best in the country. 

 

The Booster Club’s museum committee established the collections that now comprise the Paul Brown Museum. “This exhibition is made possible through the Booster Club's vision, hard work, support, and dedication to preserve the legacy of a world-renowned football program. The Massillon Museum and Paul Brown Museum are proud to partner with this exceptional organization,” said Massillon Museum’s Curator of Football Heritage Bailey Yoder.

 

In the exhibit, visitors will see Junie Studer’s original pattern for the hoop the team runs through at the beginning of each game and a telegram sent to the Tigers before the 1959 Warren game "signed" by thousands of community members and supporters. Dr. Robert Immel's Tiger Tales cassette tapes and audio from his interview with Paul Brown will be included. Five documentary films will be available on an iPad in the gallery, including the Tiger Rambles comedy film made by members of the 1939 Booster Club for the annual end-of-year banquet. Archives, ephemera, and photographs relating to the projects and side organizations of the Massillon Tiger Football Booster Club will combine to tell the story of the first high school football booster club.

Also in the Paul Brown Museum, visitors can see Brown’s Town: Art Inspired by Ohio’s Football Heritage during the same time period. It features artwork by Ohio artists addressing themes relating to Paul Brown, the “Father of Modern Football.” The Paul Brown/Massillon Tiger Football History Timeline in the Paul Brown Museum will soon be updated to recognize recent successes.

 

Visitors can also view Gilding Northeast Ohio: Fashion and Fortune 1870–1900 in the main gallery (through October 13); Innovators of Massillon; the Immel Circus; the local history and fine and decorative arts galleries; Emily Bartolone: On Its Head (through September 8); Kimberly Chapman: Through the Looking Glass (September 21 through November 3); and On the Record (August 31 through October 27). A 1916 Massillon-manufactured Russell steam engine is displayed in the garden.

 

Exhibitions can be seen during regular MassMu hours, Tuesday through Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. A visit is always free and everyone is welcome.

 

MassMu is located at 121 Lincoln Way East in downtown Massillon. Free parking is available on adjacent streets and in nearby city lots. For more information, call 330-833-4061 or visit massillonmuseum.org.