Editing Massillon, Ohio (section)

==Football==
[[File:Legendary Sentry at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.jpg|thumb|Statue of professional football player, coach, and team owner [[Paul Brown]] in front of [[Paul Brown Tiger Stadium]]]]
Football has long been one of the most prominent contributions to the culture of Massillon. In July 2008 Massillon was nominated as one of only twenty cities nationwide as a finalist in [[ESPN]]'s "Titletown U.S.A." contest.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.indeonline.com/sports/x67836930/Massillon-caps-ESPN-TitleTown-segments |title=Massillon caps ESPN TitleTown segments |access-date=July 23, 2008 |date=July 23, 2008 |newspaper=The Independent |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121111739/http://www.indeonline.com/sports/x67836930/Massillon-caps-ESPN-TitleTown-segments |archive-date=November 21, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On July 21, a rally was held at [[Paul Brown Tiger Stadium]] while ESPN filmed a segment that was aired on [[SportsCenter]]. Massillon finished fourth in the voting behind [[Valdosta, Georgia]]; [[Parkersburg, West Virginia]]; and [[Green Bay, Wisconsin]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.indeonline.com/homepage/x1346894234/NO-TITLETOWN-FOR-TIGERTOWN |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130126063201/http://www.indeonline.com/homepage/x1346894234/NO-TITLETOWN-FOR-TIGERTOWN |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 26, 2013 |title=No TitleTown for TigerTown |date=July 28, 2008 |access-date=July 29, 2008 |newspaper=The Independent }}</ref>

===High School football===
The name Massillon is most notably associated with the [[Massillon Washington High School]] football team, the Tigers. Distinguished Massillon alumni include former [[Ohio State University]], [[Cleveland Browns]], and [[Cincinnati Bengals]] coach [[Paul Brown]],<ref name=brown>{{cite web|title=Paul E. Brown Chronology|url=http://www.paulebrownmuseum.com/pb_chronology.htm|publisher=Paul Brown Museum|access-date=November 30, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140827104809/http://www.paulebrownmuseum.com/pb_chronology.htm|archive-date=August 27, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> and former [[Ohio State University]] player and former [[NFL]] [[All-Pro]] linebacker [[Chris Spielman]].<ref name=spielman>{{cite web|last=Gordon|first=Roger|title=Chris Spielman|url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/coffin_corner/26-04-1033.pdf|access-date=November 30, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822230914/http://www.profootballresearchers.org/coffin_corner/26-04-1033.pdf|archive-date=August 22, 2014}}</ref> The Tigers are historically one of the winningest high school football teams in the United States, second only to [[Valdosta High School]] in [[Valdosta, Georgia]].<ref name=malone>{{cite news|last=Malone|first=Christian|title=Valdosta vs. Massillon a possibility|url=http://valdostadailytimes.com/sports/x1155864292/Valdosta-vs-Massillon-a-possibility|access-date=November 30, 2012|newspaper=Valdosta Daily Times|date=July 28, 2006}}</ref> Along with the [[Canton McKinley High School]] Bulldogs, the Tigers represent one half of what many consider to be the greatest high school football rivalry in the nation.<ref name=pesca>{{cite news|last=Pesca|first=Mike|title=In Massillon, High School Football is "Who We Are"|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120617578|access-date=November 30, 2012|newspaper=All Things Considered|date=November 20, 2009}}</ref>  Both Massillon and their fierce rivalry with Canton are subjects of the 2001 documentary film ''[[Go Tigers!]]''.<ref name=imdb>{{cite web|title=Go Tigers! (2001) - IMDb|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0270971/|publisher=IMDB}}</ref>

The construction of [[Paul Brown Tiger Stadium]] in Massillon was completed in 1939 through the [[Works Progress Administration]] program.<ref name=greatestgeneration>{{cite web|title=WEP: Historic Topics: Greatest Generation |url=http://www.massillonmuseum.org/education_wephistoric_greatestgeneration.html#1930s |publisher=Massillon Museum|access-date=November 30, 2012}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The stadium currently holds 16,884 people<ref name=TigerStadiumChart>{{cite web|title=Massillon Paul Brown Tiger Stadium|url=http://massillontigers.com/pdfs/Massillon%20PB%20Stadium%20Seating%202010[2]-1.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202002355/http://massillontigers.com/pdfs/Massillon%20PB%20Stadium%20Seating%202010%5b2%5d-1.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 2, 2017|publisher=MassillonTigers.com|access-date=November 30, 2012}}</ref> and is named after former Tiger player and head coach [[Paul Brown]]. Besides being the regular season home of the Massillon Tiger Football team, the stadium hosts numerous [[Ohio High School Athletic Association]] state football playoff games as well as divisional championship games.<ref name=ohsaa>{{cite web|title=OHSAA Football Information|url=http://www.ohsaa.org/sports/ft/boys/default.asp|publisher=Ohio High School Athletic Association|access-date=November 30, 2012}}</ref> The stadium also hosts the annual [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] drum and bugle corps competition.<ref name=hofdrum>{{cite web|title=Drum Corps International Competition|url=http://www.profootballhoffestival.com/drum-corps-international-competition|publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival|access-date=November 20, 2012}}</ref> The stadium is marked with a historical marker dedicated to Paul Brown and his contribution to the sport <ref name=markerpaul>{{cite web|title=Remarkable Ohio|url=http://www.remarkableohio.org/HistoricalMarker.aspx?historicalMarkerId=902|access-date=November 30, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140823090355/http://www.remarkableohio.org/HistoricalMarker.aspx?historicalMarkerId=902|archive-date=August 23, 2014}}</ref>

Massillon's Paul L. David Athletic Training Center was built in 2008 by local philanthropist Jeff David in honor of his late father. The 3 million dollar, 80,000 square foot building is the largest indoor football practice facility in the state of Ohio, 20,000-square-feet larger than the facility used by the NFL's [[Cleveland Browns]].<ref name="Schumacher Construction">{{cite web|last=Schumacher Construction|title=Schumacher Construction|url=http://www.schumacherconstruction.com/pd_facility.htm|access-date=November 30, 2012}}</ref><ref name=warsinskey>{{cite news|last=Warsinskey|first=Tim|title=Tim's Take: Team practice - Massillon's got it covered|url=http://blog.cleveland.com/tlr/2008/10/tims_take_team_practice_massil.html|access-date=November 30, 2012|newspaper=Blog.Cleveland.Com (The Plain Dealer)|date=October 14, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903225754/http://blog.cleveland.com/tlr/2008/10/tims_take_team_practice_massil.html|archive-date=September 3, 2014}}</ref>

The Massillon Tigers have accumulated 25 “state [[Associated Press|AP]] championships” and 9 “national AP championships” during the school's history. As of 2012, the Tigers have accumulated an overall record of 837-249-35, a record not approached by any other Ohio high school football team. In the years since the Ohio high school playoff system was instituted in 1972, the Tigers have accumulated a current record of 316-117-4. The Tigers have made the playoffs 19 times, the final four six times, and the final championship game three times. There have been 23 professional players, 3 NFL coaches, and 14 collegiate all-Americans that have graduated from [[Massillon Washington High School]].<ref name=tigerhistory>{{cite web|last=Arnold|first=Wilbur|title=History of the Massillon Tigers|url=http://www.massillontigers.com/history.html|publisher=MassillonTigers.com|access-date=November 30, 2012}}</ref>
Washington High School previously held the record for the most playoff appearances by a high school football team without actually winning a state championship since 1970. The Tigers won 7-2 against [[Archbishop Hoban High School]] on 30 November 2023 to clinch the OHSAA D-II state football championship, thus ending a 53 year drought.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wkyc.com/article/sports/high-school/hs-football/massillon-washington-beats-archbishop-hoban-7-2-win-ohsaa-division-ii-state-football-championship/95-6e4bdf54-2163-4751-8a7f-e6cfb24c8d5e | title=The drought is over: Massillon Washington beats Archbishop Hoban 7-2 to win OHSAA D-II state football championship | date=November 30, 2023 }}</ref>

====Tiger Swing Band====
The 1915 Washington High School annual notes of the Massillon Football Band being a group of students bringing their instruments to the football games and playing to cheer on the team and pep up the fans. The name "The Massillon Tiger Swing Band" and the swing elements were created by George "Red" Bird in 1938 during the Paul Brown era of Massillon football. The band became known as "The Greatest Show in High School Football" and is still a very important part of the Massillon football tradition. The band's swing style includes moving formations and musicians marching with a swing step. Mr. Bird invented the 6 to 5 step. The Tiger Swing band begins every home football game with the traditional hometown songs of "Massillon Will Shine", "Stand Up and Cheer" (to acknowledge the other team), the National Anthem, "Eye of the Tiger" and the "WHS Alma Mater". At the beginning of each half time show, they perform what is known as "Opening Routine", this tradition that goes back for decades and consists of the band's entrance ("Turn Arounds") followed by "Fanfare", "Tiger Rag" and "Carry On". This entire routine is marched at 180 beats per minute. The band also learns and performs a new show for every home game.
<ref>{{cite web|title=Tiger Swing Band - History of the Massillon Tiger Swing Band|url=http://tigerswingband.com/history/4-history-of-mtsb|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204110943/http://tigerswingband.com/history/4-history-of-mtsb|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 4, 2013|publisher=Tiger Swing Band|access-date=November 30, 2012}}</ref>

===Professional football===
While the first players known to be paid to play football are believed to have played for club teams in the [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]] area, perhaps the first great professional football rivalry was between the [[Massillon Tigers]] and [[Canton Bulldogs]] from 1903 to 1906 and 1915 to 1919. This rivalry predates both the NFL and the aforementioned rivalry between the Massillon and Canton high schools which continue to use the nicknames of these early professional teams. The Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA) web site includes articles about the early years of this rivalry,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/03-07-068.pdf |title=The Ohio League |access-date=June 11, 2008 |last=Braunwart |first=Bob |author2=Carroll, Bob |year=1981 |work=The Coffin Corner |publisher=Professional Football Researchers Association |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140822043543/http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/03-07-068.pdf |archive-date=August 22, 2014 }}</ref> as well as articles about the history of football through the 1970s.