REMEMBERING "THE TOE"

On many levels we enjoyed a most enlightening and memorable trip to Cleveland, Ohio, and its historical surroundings, and discovered some amazing information.

It happened that we were staying in the same Berea, Ohio, neighborhood of a larger-than-life hometown Cleveland hero, Louis Roy Groza, nicknamed and forever to be remembered in Cleveland as  "The Toe" (1/25/24 - 11/29/2000).

We stayed at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds in our motorhome in the City of Berea, Ohio.  Lou Groza returned to again call this area his family's home after his retirement.  He was honored in numerous ways, almost too many to count!

Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds
Berea, Ohio

Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds
Berea, Ohio

Home of the Cleveland Browns
National Football League

Lou Groza Field
Berea, Ohio

In 2016 Groza was honored with a statue
in front of Lou Groza Field

In 2012, Lou Groza Field was built in Berea, Ohio.  The Lou Groza Field is the home of the Lou Groza Youth Football Program.

Lou Groza Field - No mistake this is a
honored football hero

Lou Groza played his entire career for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League (NFL).  Groza was professional football's kicking and points leader when he retired after the 1967 season.  Upon retiring from the Browns, Gorza's number 76 was retired.  He played in 21 seasons for the Brown's, helping the team win 8 League championships.  He set numerous records for distance and number of field goals kicked during his career.  He is recognized for the following:

• 4 times AAFC Champion
• 4 times NFL Championship
• Selected 9 times for the Pro Bowl
• NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team
• 1974 Inducted into Professional Football Hall of Fame

#76 is honored on the Lou Garza Field
in Berea, Ohio

Groza set NFL records for field goals made in 1950, 1952 and1953.  Sporting News Magazine
named him the League's "Most Valuable Player" (MVP) in 1954 when the Browns won another championship.  In 1974 he was elected to the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Cleveland Browns Training Facility
Berea, Ohio

Lou Groza Boulevard
Berea, Ohio

The street the Cleveland Browns Training Facility is located was renamed "Lou Groza Boulevard".

Groza enrolled at Ohio State University on a football scholarship in 1942, but after 1 year in college, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was sent to serve in World War II.  He was deployed as an army surgical technician in the Pacific theatre, where he stayed until returning in 1946 to play for the Cleveland Browns.  

In 1992, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, named the Lou Groza Award after him.  The award is given annually to the country's best college place kicker.  

Lou Groza suffered an apparent heart attack on 11/29/2000.  He was survived by his wife, Jackie, 3 sons, Jeff, Jon and Judd, and 1 daughter, Jill.  He is buried in Sunset Memorial Park in North Olmsted, Ohio.

TEXAS-SIZED!

We both survived the ordeal of the broken leveling jacks.  We'll talk more about that later, but we had plans to do a couple of things before leaving Dallas.  We had reservations for a VIP tour of the AT&T Stadium, previously known as Cowboys Stadium, opened May 27, 2009.  AT&T Stadium is the world's largest domed structure as well as a museum, learning center, and the world's largest column-free structure.   The stadium cost approximately $1.5 billion dollars to build.  In July, 2013, the facility was officially renamed the AT&T Stadium when AT&T bought the naming rights for $18 million per year for an unknown number of years.

Aerial View of AT&T Stadium - Arlington, TX

AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX

AT&T Stadium - Arlington, TX

Tickets for the VIP tour allow you a one-of-a-kind experience to hear facts and trivia about one of the most recognizable stadiums in all of sports.  I'll have to admit one half of the two of us wasn't as excited about this opportunity until I got there.  It was an over-the-top experience and I would do it all over again.

View of AT&T Playing Field

Lounge and Entertainment Area

View of Domed Roof

Tours are scheduled every day, several times a day.  You can throw a football on the field, sit in one of the suites, see the locker rooms of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders as well as the players, and see Jerry Jones' personal booth (not his VIP suite) where he watches each game, and his personal elevator.

Entrance to Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Locker Room

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Locker

Entrance to Dallas Cowboys Locker Room

Inside Dallas Cowboys Locker Room - Our tour Guide

Inside Dallas Cowboys Locker Room

Jerry Jones' Personal Viewing Area During Games

Inside Jerry Jones' Personal Viewing Area During Games

Owner's Personal Elevator

You are taken from the largest pro shop in the NFL (where it is anticipated you will drop even more of your money before you leave) in to the stadium with a seating capacity of 80,000 but can be expanded to seat nearly 100,000 fans for large events - like the Super Bowl.  Ninety-four percent (94%) of the seats are held by season ticket holders.

Second Floor of Pro Shop

On 5 levels there are 300 suites (at this time 298 are sold/leased) that includes the Hall of Fame level, that is just 21 rows from the playing field.  There are 15,000 club seats surrounding the field offering additional features not found anywhere else in the stadium.  In other words, there isn't a bad seat in the house!

AT&T Stadium Seating

Inside Luxury VIP Executive Suites - AT&T Stadium

Hall Of Fame Level on Ground Floor

Cowboys Entrance on Ground Floor

View looking at Hall Of Fame Level at Stadium Level

There is a massive HD videoboard suspended 90' above the center of the field, one of the largest HD videoboards in the world.  By the way, the $40 million cost of the videoboard is more than the total cost of the old Texas Stadium in Irving,TX, when it was built in 1971.  Please don't call the video board a "Jumbotron" which is a Sony product.  Staff with the Cowboys will be quick to remind you their boards are "Diamond Vision", manufactured by Mitsubishi

Diamond Vision Video Board

View of Stadium and Diamond Vision

RV At The Stadium 50 Yard Line

We were surprised to learn about the number of different venues used in this stadium.  Not only are high profile sporting events scheduled on a regular basis but concerts and one of the biggest games for college football fans is the Cotton Bowl, which is now hosted in the AT&T Stadium.

AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic Headquarters

One of the  highlights of our almost 2 hour walking tour was talking with the very knowledgeable and personable staff.  We were impressed throughout the tour at just how immaculate the entire facility was in all areas.  Our tour guide was knowledgeable and was able to answer any questions posed by anyone in our group concerning architectural details, the structure, or history of the team.

There were huge elevators used to transport over 20 of us from floor to floor.  These elevators had been used during the construction phase of the Stadium but were perfect for transporting us.  Guess you could say it was "TEXAS-SIZED", just like the rest of the Stadium.