The 49ers Museum’s education program has been off to the races during the first half off its inaugural school year, serving roughly 10,000 students and over 3,000 adult chaperones over the first four months of operation of the STEM based field-trip program at Levi’s® Stadium.

With the start of 2015, the Museum launched Free Family Learning Nights, which will take place on the second Friday of every month through June.  The goal of Family Learning Nights is to bring families together to learn about STEM, engage in the content that their children are tackling in schools on a daily basis and have a great time exploring the Museum and all it has to offer.

Each Family Learning Night is broken up into two hour segments: the first hour being a hands-on, content-rich lab activity that pairs parents with their students in a challenge that must be accomplished as a team. The second hour of the event is free exploration of the 49ers Museum, where the families are invited to utilize the different technology and explore the exhibits through a STEM-based lens.

“We wanted to create an opportunity for students to associate learning with fun and for parents to take a more active role in how their kids engage with STEM, and Family Learning Nights hits that ball out of the park” said Jesse Lovejoy, Director of the 49ers Museum. “Our program has had a lot of special ‘firsts’ in our inaugural year, but the opening night of this program—seeing parents and kids so enthralled, smiling, having fun while learning—is certainly one of the most fulfilling and exciting we’ve seen.

The excitement and support of January 9^th’s inaugural Family Learning Night was just the start of the impact this program will have. On the night, 122 beaming children from grades kindergarten through eight and their chaperones filled the Denise DeBartolo York Education Center, In the Game Gallery, and Morabito Theater as they dove into the engineering process using examples of football-specific equipment and its progression over the years. Following this in-depth and hands-on analysis of the engineering process, the families were tasked with engineering their own football using unlikely resources and were confronted with different challenges along the way.

At the end of the program’s first year, more than 1,200 parents and their children will have been served through this new program, all absolutely free.  It is also possible that due to extremely high demand, more sessions may be opened to accommodate the need. As with all of the museum’s educational programs, the goal is to inspire children to engage in STEM activities through the platform of football and 49ers History, and Family Learning Night not only continues that mission, but establishes the foundation for a support system for children to continue their learning outside of the classroom.

The 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, which one newspaper called “the greatest Canadian sports spectacle ever,” thrust Vancouver onto the world stage for the first time. The BC Sports Hall of Fame is proud to present this signature exhibition celebrating the Games’ 60th anniversary. Elements of the exhibit include the making of the games, the sport competions and highlight events such as the Miracle Mile run by Roger Bannister and John Landy.

LUBBOCK, Texas — The National College Baseball Hall of Fame announced today that it will honor the coaching career of legendary University of Texas coach Cliff Gustafson with an event in Austin.

Titled “A Salute to Coach Gus,” the event will honor Gustafson, who served as skipper of the Longhorns from 1968 to 1996. A member of the Hall of Fame’s inaugural induction class in 2006, he guided his teams to an impressive 1,466 wins, with a record 17 College World Series appearances and two national titles in his 29 seasons at the helm.

“The time is now to honor Coach Gus,” said Mike Gustafson, president and CEO of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame and no relation to the coach. “This will be our first campus event to honor one of our inductees, and he is a fitting choice.”

The evening will feature several of his Hall of Fame players, including Greg Swindell, Roger Clemens, Burt Hooton and Keith Moreland. Players from the 1975 and 1983 national championship teams also will be part of the program.

“With so many of his guys scheduled to be on stage with Coach Gus, I’m sure the evening will be part roast and part ‘This Is Your Life’,” Gustafson said.

The event will take place at the Oasis Restaurant in Austin on Jan. 30. Tables of eight start at $500 and are on sale now.

The National College Baseball Hall of Fame, based in Lubbock, Texas, is a non-profit organization dedicated to recognizing and preserving the history of college baseball. In addition to the annual induction of the Hall of Fame class, the organization presents numerous awards to current college baseball players, coaches and umpires, including the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award and the National Pitcher of the Year Award, during its annual Night of Champions event. The or­ganization was founded in 2004, and the first Hall of Fame class was inducted in 2006. Currently, a capital campaign is underway to raise the $13 million needed to construct the George H.W. Bush National College Baseball Hall of Fame building and create an endowment.

For more information on “A Salute to Coach Gus” or to purchase tables for the event, contact Mike Gustafson at [email protected] or call (806) 749-2233.

Click here for “Salute to Coach Gus” ticket order website

Notre Dame hired Dimensional Innovations to create an unforgettable Experience Center at Notre Dame Stadium. By telling the ND story through environmental graphics, technology and signage, DI was able to help the organization create an emotional connection to dedicated fans that will drive revenue and garner excitement around the Campus Crossroads Project (a multi-building renovation centered around the stadium). The space also provides a venue for premium seat offerings at the school’s $400 million stadium expansion.

The consistent use of high-end materials, cutting edge technology, fine finishes, graphic style and language complement other areas of the facility to help seamlessly integrate the new space.

One of the biggest project challenges was creating a unique and on-brand experience that fit within a tight budget and timeline. DI delivered just that – on time and on budget.

In the spirit of the Campus Crossroads Project, the Experience Center is open to the general public for all to experience the rich history and traditions of the Blue and Gold.

SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (January 9, 2015) – It’s not often that just showing pride in a team can mean big savings, but that’s the case this month for football fans at the World of Little League^®: Peter J. McGovern Museum and Official Store.

Fans can prepare for “the big game” by wearing any merchandise with a professional football logo when visiting the Museum, and receive free admission any day during the month. The Museum is open every day in January, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the exception of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 19), when it will be closed.

The sport on many peoples’ minds this month is football, and many current and former professional football players are Little League graduates, including several who are members of the Museum’s Hall of Excellence.

Among items on display at the Museum is a football signed by Ozzie Newsome, a 1999 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee who is now General Manager and Executive Vice President of the Baltimore Ravens.  Mr. Newsome played all 13 seasons of his career with the Cleveland Browns. He played Little League Baseball^® in Muscle Shoals, Ala., and was inducted into the World of Little League Hall of Excellence in 2008.

The Hall of Excellence honors Little League graduates who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in their chosen profession, and have become role models for children.

Three other members of the Hall of Excellence played professional football.

George H. “Billy” Hunter, former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, played professional football with the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins. He was named to the Hall of Excellence in 2000. He led his Delaware Township (N.J.) Little League team to the finals of the Little League Baseball World Series in 1955.

Brian Sipe, inducted in 1999, was a member of the 1961 Little League Baseball World Series Championship team from El Cajon, Calif. Mr. Sipe went on to a 10-year NFL career with the Cleveland Browns, earning a Most Valuable Player Award in 1980.

Tony Dungy, inducted in 1998, is accomplished on and off the playing field – first as a player for the Steelers and 49ers, then as a Super Bowl-winning head coach at Tampa Bay, and now as a football analyst for NBC. Before that, however, he played in the Southeast Little League of Jackson, Mich.

Several current NFL players have strong connections to Little League. Julian Vandervelde, of the Philadelphia Eagles, played in the Little League Baseball World Series in 2000 for Iowa. Matt Cassel, quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, played in the 1994 Little League Baseball World Series for the U.S. National Champions from California.

A fullback for the New York Giants, Henry Hynoski, played at Southern Columbia High School and the University of Pittsburgh. As a youngster, he played Little League near Elysburg, Pa.

Two former NFL players with local ties, Gary Brown, now the running backs coach for the Dallas Cowboys after an eight-year NFL career as a player, and Jack Losch, who played for the Green Bay Packers, are also Little League graduates.  Both grew up in Williamsport, Pa., and played football at Williamsport High School. Mr. Losch played in the first Little League Baseball World Series in 1947 for the Maynard Midgets, the champions of the inaugural World Series.

Notable professional football players who are Little League graduates include: Joe Montana, a 2000 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee who played his youth baseball in the Monongahela (Pa.) Optimist Little League; East Brady (Pa.) Little League product Jim Kelly, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002; two Pennsylvania natives, 1988 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Mike Ditka and 2005 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Dan Marino; John Elway, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004, played with Sentinel Little League in Missoula, Mont.;12-year NFL quarterback Joe Theismann, who played youth baseball in the South River (N.J.) Little League; 2006 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Troy Aikman, a graduate of Frontier Little League in Cerritos, Calif.; and Western Hills Little League (Austin, Texas) graduate Drew Brees.

Other Little League graduates who went on to NFL careers include Russell Wilson, Colin Kaepernick, Richard Sherman, Doug Flutie, Drew Bledsoe, Adam Vinatieri, Tom Brady, Steve Breaston, Bob Greise, Bill Parcells, Boomer Esiason, Brett Favre, and Aaron Rodgers.

In February the Museum will observe World of Little League Loves Teachers Month. At that time, educators showing their teaching identification will receive free admission for themselves and up to two guests.

The World of Little League, 525 Montgomery Pike (US 15), is open daily from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. with the exception of Monday, Jan. 19. General admission is $5. It is $2 for children (ages 5 through 12) and $3 for senior citizens (62 years and older). Children four and younger are admitted free of charge.

More information about the Museum is available at LittleLeagueMuseum.org or you can contact the Museum at 570-326-3607. Follow World of Little League on Facebook (facebook.com/LittleLeagueMuseum) and Twitter (twitter.com/LLBMuseum).

About Little League^®

Little League^® Baseball and Softball is the world’s largest organized youth sports program, with 2.4 million players and one million adult volunteers in every U.S. state and more than 80 other countries. Founded in 1939, more than 35 million people around the world, from a U.S. president to community leaders to professional athletes, can call themselves Little League graduates. And every year, millions of people follow the hard work, dedication, and sportsmanship that the Little Leaguers display at our nine baseball and softball World Series events, the premier tournaments in youth sports. For more information, visit LittleLeague.org, or follow Little League on Facebook (facebook.com/LittleLeague), Twitter (twitter.com/LittleLeague), and Instagram (Instagram.com/LittleLeague).