Avron B. Fogelman Sports History Museum

by P. BURKS | Tuesday, Feb 18, 2020
Avron B. Fogelman Sports History Museum

SPorts Museum Closed until further notice.

Original rules of basketball penned by James Naismith and Babe Ruth’s 1921 Opening Day game worn pants among featured items in museum that connects sports to history

Florida Atlantic University’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters recently announced the opening of the Avron B. Fogelman Sports History Museum, a permanent exhibit featuring artifacts from the former Kansas City Royals owner and longtime Boca Raton resident’s private collection. Part of a donation valued at over $10 million, the collection is widely considered one of the largest private libraries amassed and owned by an individual.

The new 3,500 square-foot space arranges the collection’s more than 1,200 pieces in exhibits that offer visitors an intimate and visual progression of American sports alongside vignettes of the country’s growth. Together, the collection provides historical context, opportunities for intergenerational connections and unique storytelling.

Immediately upon entering the exhibit, a display of Olympic torches, including ones from the 1936 Berlin, 1948 London and 1972 Munich games, mark significant moments that impacted the games, its athletes and the world. In another display, World War II is illustrated using game-worn pants from baseball player and spy Moe Berg. It hangs alongside items signed by crew members of the Enola Gay, the mission responsible for dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.

“Sports are so engrained in our identity that a great deal of our collective history could be shared through famous athletic moments,” said Fogelman. “To serve as stewards of that story, we have to share our knowledge with the next generation and keep the passion for sports alive.”

The collection also includes golf memorabilia from legends such as Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods; a 1930s-era football signed by Jim Thorpe and helmet autographed by Bronco Nagurski; and an array of pieces from Muhammad Ali. Another section showcases racial integration through artifacts from Jackie Robinson, the first African American Major League Baseball player; Emmett Ashford, the first African American Major League Baseball umpire; the scouting report for Hall of Fame player Willie Mays; and equipment from the Negro Leagues.

 Other highlights on display include:

  • The 13 original rules of basketball by James Naismith
  • Football signed by the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins
  • The 1969 Ryder Cup Trophy
  • One-of-a-kind personal pieces dedicated to Fogelman by sports legends, entertainers, politicians and historical figures
  • Interactive displays including a recording of Fogelman’s phone call with President Ronald Reagan after the Royals won the 1985 World Series

According to FAU President John Kelly, the exhibit serves the university’s academic programs such as the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters Museum Management program, the MBA Sports Management program and other related programs across the university, with space allocated for lectures and post-tour discussions.

“History comes alive when we use the shared language of sports,” Kelly said. “Avron’s passion coupled with our commitment to providing South Florida with interactive academic opportunities has created a unique museum. We are honored to be entrusted with his life’s work -- this collection -- and look forward to sharing America’s history with all who walk through its doors.”

 The total gift, which included funds for construction and the hiring and training of museum staff, is the fifth largest one-time donation in the university’s history. Fogelman also is a contributor to FAU in support of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Athletics, and the Kelly Family Scholarship Fund. 

 The Avron B. Fogelman Sports History Museium is located in the Schmidt Family Complex for Academic and Athletic Excellence on FAU’s main campus at 777 Glades Road in Boca Raton, FL. Admission is free. For more information, visit fau.edu/Fogelman-sports-museum

 

 

 


Warning: simplexml_load_file(): I/O warning : failed to load external entity "/export/apache/htdocs/new-artsandletters/news/fogelman-sports-history-museum/index.xml" in /export/apache/htdocs/artsandletters/news/fogelman-sports-history-museum/index.php on line 119

Notice: Trying to get property of non-object in /export/apache/htdocs/artsandletters/news/fogelman-sports-history-museum/index.php on line 120
RELATED


Warning: simplexml_load_file(): I/O warning : failed to load external entity "/export/apache/htdocs/new-artsandletters/news/fogelman-sports-history-museum/index.xml" in /export/apache/htdocs/artsandletters/news/fogelman-sports-history-museum/index.php on line 130

Notice: Trying to get property of non-object in /export/apache/htdocs/artsandletters/news/fogelman-sports-history-museum/index.php on line 131

Fatal error: Uncaught exception 'UnexpectedValueException' with message 'RecursiveDirectoryIterator::__construct(/export/apache/htdocs/new-artsandletters/news/): failed to open dir: No such file or directory' in /export/apache/htdocs/_resources/php/blog/blog-functions.php:122 Stack trace: #0 /export/apache/htdocs/_resources/php/blog/blog-functions.php(122): RecursiveDirectoryIterator->__construct('/export/apache/...') #1 /export/apache/htdocs/_resources/php/blog/blog-functions.php(641): get_files('/new-artsandlet...', Array) #2 /export/apache/htdocs/artsandletters/news/fogelman-sports-history-museum/index.php(133): display_related_tag('/new-artsandlet...', 3) #3 {main} thrown in /export/apache/htdocs/_resources/php/blog/blog-functions.php on line 122