Come Together: Freedom Hall's Story in Uniting a Sport
Freedom Hall was completed in 1956, as the centerpiece of a state-of-the-art expositions center. The “Coliseum”– christened “Freedom Hall” in a naming contest–was designed as a multipurpose arena for entertainment, basketball, the Kentucky State Fair World’s Championship Horse Show, and other events. Concerts, political rallies, and sporting events have been held there, hosting the likes of Elvis, John F. Kennedy, and Muhammad Ali.
For pulling fans, Freedom Hall in February 1969 was the Genesis of the sport, when a group of men laid the groundwork for decades to come.
The late Sixties were a period of massive growth for pulling across the country at county fairs and stand-alone events like the National Tractor Pulling Championships in Bowling Green, Ohio, and the M&W World Championships. With that growth was the need for consistent rules across the sport and an eye toward safety for pullers and spectators. The popularity of pulling continued to ascend as the first Championship Tractor Pull at the National Farm Machinery Show was held in 1969. Providing the sled that year was the Northwest Ohio Tractor Pullers Association (NWOTPA), promoters of the National Tractor Pulling Championships.
Ed Hart, President of the NWOTPA, brought the club’s “Heartbreaker I” sled to Louisville along with his Allis Chalmers D21 for the competition. Hart, like a handful of other pullers, recognized the need to unify rules, not only from event to event but across state lines. In that initial group of pullers with Hart were John Klug from Iowa, Phil Aylward from Missouri, Roger Varns and Dave Haley from Ohio, as well as Darius Harms, John Stockley, and John Burris from Illinois. The eight men gathered in a lower section of seating in Freedom Hall on the afternoon of February 12th, 1969. Discussion was effective enough to require more meetings in the coming months; out of that first meeting the National Tractor Pullers Association was born. Nine states would initially be in the association (represented by the nine stars in the NTPA shield) and achieved their goal of writing consistent rules for classes and weights. Safety was also a top priority to contain the action as the horsepower race escalated.
Today, the NTPA continues on that journey, providing rule sets for numerous classes and safety mandates that evolved from wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a ball cap in competition to full fire suits and helmets. The NTPA’s influence has borne other sanctioning bodies along the way including the Pro Pulling League, Outlaws, and numerous state and regional pulling groups.
So, if you’re sitting in Freedom Hall for the heralded Championship Tractor Pull, you’re not only spectating at the world’s largest indoor tractor pull, you may also be seated where a group of eight men planted the proverbial seeds to grow the sport to where it is today!