The story behind the $11 million gift to the Pro Football Hall of Fame

The largest donation ever made to the Pro Football Hall of Fame took just 10 days from initial pitch to a check being written, a remarkable testament to the passion that New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson has for the sport.

The $11 million donation made by Benson went public on Monday, marking the most significant contribution ever to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. It happened very fast, something that doesn't surprise those close to the man. From the donation, $10 million will be earmarked for the renovation of Fawcett Stadium, which will now be renamed Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

The process towards the record-setting donation began on the evening of Sept. 6 when David Baker, President/Executive Director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was in Atlanta. He was meeting old friends with the New Orleans Saints organization at their team hotel the night before the Saints opened their season at the Atlanta Falcons. During the course of the evening, he explained the new initiatives at the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the fundraising work that was necessary to get the objectives off the ground.

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Baker's friends recommended that he sit down with Benson, who is passionate about the growth and development of the sport. A few weeks later, he was sitting at the dining room table in Benson's home, making a pitch to the Saints owner and his wife Gail.

From the onset, Benson was responsive.

“His response was that 'Listen, I will get back to you on this.' He was very interested in the youth part of it, very interested in the values part of it. He said it won't take long, we will get back to you right away,” Baker told Yahoo Sports.

In less than two weeks, he got back to the Hall of Fame. It had Benson's full support.

“I don't want to put words in his mouth but I think he wanted to say to all of us in football to show leadership here," Baker said. "I expected it to be a substantial number and that's kind of how we got into the naming rights for the stadium – it was to honor his legacy. It wasn't something we negotiated for or something we tried to sell. It became a natural thing, it evolved to that. Then he came back and said that 'I'd like to do more.' That's when we started moving things.”

He said he came to Benson in that first meeting around the dining roundtable “with a menu of items and told him, 'Here is what we're looking at.'” The original hope was to get what Baker called a “seven-figure donation." Soon after, Benson responded by saying that he was “on board to support everything.”

The donation was not only what Baker was hoping for, but even more than that. Baker said that this donation is “significantly” bigger than any other donation made to the hall.

After the stadium renovation, the additional money will go to the Hall of Fame’s Legends Landing Program, a mixed-use residence that includes room for Hall of Famers and former NFL players. It is a feature of the Hall of Fame that Benson is passionate about.

Baker's relationship with Benson began when the Saints owner was the first man to buy a team in the Arena Football League. Baker served as the AFL's commissioner for a while. At the meeting this September, Baker said he knew that Benson was hooked.

What really inspired him was the focus on youth development telling stories of courage, something that doesn't surprise Baker.

“He's a loyal guy, he is. He's been loyal to the city of New Orleans, the team and the fans,” Baker said. “He's the kind of guy that has had the same friends around him for 30, 40, 50 years. That's just who he is.”

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Kristian R. Dyer writes for Metro New York and is a contributor to Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KristianRDyer