CANTON, OHIO – The NFL football season officially began this past Thursday night with their annual Hall of Fame game which typically pits two legendary NFL teams against one another a week before the preseason games begin. That was true once again with the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns, two iconic franchises, facing off with very few starters (if any) actually taking the field.
With that, the future of the two teams was on display with backup quarterbacks and other skill position players putting what they could together in hopes of securing one of the 53 roster spots before the regular season begins on Thursday, September 7. But, what many people may not have noticed from the Hall of Fame game was the amazing flyover that featured a Wyoming native at the head of the pack.
Lt. Commander Richard Pince (left) of Missouri Valley and his squadron stood in front of a U.S. Navy Hawkeye. (p/c Ernie Over)
Shoshoni’s Richard Pince, a longtime resident of Missouri Valley, has grown from his small-town beginnings to become a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy. On Thursday, Pince commanded the aircraft that flew over the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.
Although the Hall of Fame game may not be the most watched game, or even the most competitive preseason game of the year, it was still quite a fun event to watch especially when realizing that a Wyomingite that grew up within Fremont County was in the air leading the way before the game.
The game was eventually by the Browns, who toppled the Browns. NFL’s preseason games officially begin with the Houston Texans visiting the New England Patriots on Thursday, August 10.
BY: Shawn O’Brate