Football fans from across the region are expected to gather at Akron’s Lock 3 Park to celebrate the centennial of the National Football League and Akron’s own pro football team.
As part of NFL 100, the NFL’s year-long celebration, Akron will host the Draft Day Experience, a free family-oriented event, Saturday, April 27 from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Lock 3 Park, 200 King James Way. The event will include activities, giveaways, food trucks and a 2019 6th round draft pick made via a live telecast.
“It’s really going to be a unique experience for Akron and Akron area residents to come down, experience the NFL, experience the Browns have fun with football in a safe environment and have fun with their families,” said James Hardy, chief of staff for Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan.
Akron was chosen as one of the NFL's eight "original towns" outside the 32 current NFL markets that will announce a draft pick.
Akron was home to the Akron Pros, one of 14 original teams that made up the American Professional Football Association, which later became the NFL. The Pros played from 1908 to 1926 and were co-coached by the league’s first African-American head coach Fritz Pollard in 1921.
Players from little league to university level, and possibly some pros, are expected to attend Akron's draft day event.
