BELLE GLADE, Fla. — A celebration of football is now open in Belle Glade.
After two years, the ribbon was cut Thursday, opening the "Hall of Honor" inside the Lawrence E. Will Museum.
WATCH BELOW: "Hall of Honor" opens in Belle Glade
The building is filled with a collection of pictures, stats and memorabilia. It's all a tribute to the current and past football players from Belle Glade and Pahokee who've made their professional football dreams a reality.
"This is beautiful," Lawrence Chester, who played high school football in Belle Glade, said. "Before me, nobody had ever gone to the NFL."
Chester was drafted in 1967, the first year the Atlanta Falcons played in the league. At the Belle Glade museum is his rookie contract with Atlanta. He was paid $15,000.
He played a year in Atlanta and then played for the Detroit Lions. After retiring, he worked for the Ford Motor Company.
Being included in the "Hall of Honor" brings him great joy.
"I never thought it would be like this," he said.
Pahokee and Belle Glade have produced over 70 players who have gone on to play in the NFL or CFL.
"There was never any tribute to them that we knew of," Cheryl Stein of the Lawrence E. Will Museum said.
So, Stein and a friend got to work, putting together a list of local players who played professionally. Next, they reached out to players and loved ones to get stats, memorabilia and pictures.
"A lot of the players on the wall still have family here, so the families were very helpful in getting any information we needed, photographs we needed," Stein said.
The room also has a coach's corner and has a section devoted to the area's "Muck Bowl" — the annual game pitting rival Glades Central and Pahokee High School.
"It's something to be very, very proud of," Stein said.
The "Hall of Honor" is still growing. As more and more players hear about the tribute, they are sending more items to display.
The Lawrence E. Will Museum is located at 530 S Main St. in Belle Glade.
