CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Pro Football Hall of Fame will induct the Class of 2022 next month but during enshrinement week, there are other legendary figures of the game who have made their way to Canton, Ohio where they will be honored.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Awards of Excellence are being presented to contributors of the game such as assistant coaches, athletic trainers, equipment managers and public relations personnel. It’s that last category where Charlie Dayton made his mark in the field of communications.
Dayton, a former Sports Information Director at Furman, spent 40 years working in the NFL before retiring in 2015.
He was a public relations associate in 1976 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicked off their expansion season. In 1994, Dayton was a part of another expansion team when the Panthers hired him to oversee the public relations department of that franchise.
His impact with the Panthers was so important that the press box of Bank of America Stadium is named in his honor.
Dayton and longtime South Carolina State Sports Information Director Bill Hamilton have known each other since the early 70s when Dayton was at Furman. That friendship led to Dayton hiring one of Hamilton’s former student assistants as an intern. Ted Crews would earn a full-time position with the Panthers before stops with the Atlanta Falcons and the St. Louis Rams. Crews is currently the Executive Vice President for Communications with the Kansas City Chiefs. His journey from Orangeburg to Kansas City would not have been possible without Hamilton or Dayton, two giants in the profession who always did their part to help the next generation of PR professionals.
Hamilton has received his share of awards over the years for his work in college athletics and the first week of August is when the Pro Football Hall of Fame will honor Dayton for his efforts as one of the pioneers of NFL public relations.