Author Archives: Shane Mailman

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame is proud to announce a new display dedicated to High School Girls Basketball. The new exhibit features a 75-inch interactive touchscreen that highlights the most recent state champions from across the United States. The display showcases each state champion for each state and includes a team roster, a team photo, and more for each champion. Each year in May the display will be updated with the newest year’s champions.

 

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame opened in June 1999 in Knoxville, TN. It is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women’s basketball. The mission of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame is to “honor the past, celebrate the present, and promote the future” of women’s basketball.

The ProRodeo Hall of Fame had two special guests arrive Wednesday, June 19 as part of its live animal display at the Hall again in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Powder River Rodeo’s saddle bronc horse Bartender and bareback/saddle bronc horse Diamond Mine were welcomed to the grounds. Both horses are 25 years old and retired from ProRodeo competition in 2012. Powder River Rodeo is headquartered in Riverton, Wyo.
The horses will be at the ProRodeo Hall of Fame until mid-September.
The exhibit will be in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame barn and will be accessible by the public (including handicapped accessibility) during regular museum hours of 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (MDT) seven days a week through August, and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday in September.
“The Rodeo Livestock Exhibit is very popular with our guests,” ProRodeo Hall of Fame Director Kent Sturman said. “We appreciate Powder River Rodeo’s willingness to help with this project. Their horses are some of the best in the business, and we are honored to have Bartender and Diamond Mine with us for the summer.”
The mission of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy exists to educate the public about rodeo, its history and its impact on Western American culture.
Bartender was selected to compete at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo seven times. The mare also competed at the National Circuit Finals Rodeo and Mountain States Circuit Finals Rodeo many times. She was selected as the Mountain States Circuit Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year. Lipstick N Whiskey, Bar Keep, Bar Maid, Double Feature, all sisters to Bartender, also competed at the Wrangler NFR. Bay Rum, a 1995 Wrangler NFR selection, is Bartender’s mother, and Cut The Cards, a three-time NFR selection, is Bartender’s father. Cut The Cards is the father to Miss Congeniality (the 2005 and 2007 PRCA saddle bronc horse of the year) and Craig at Midnight (the 2016 PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year and top bareback horse at the 2017 Wrangler NFR).
Diamond Mine was selected to compete at the Wrangler NFR in 1999 and took part in many National Circuit Finals Rodeos and Mountain States Circuit Finals Rodeos. Diamond Mine’s sister is B80 Night Train, a Wrangler NFR qualifier. Cut The Cards also is Diamond Mine’s father. Diamond Mine’s offspring include Double Take, a four-time Wrangler NFR qualifier, and Look Again, a three-time Wrangler NFR qualifier.

2019 NOVA SCOTIA SPORT HALL OF FAME INDUCTION NIGHT
On Friday, November 15, the 2019 Hall of Fame Induction Night will take place at the Halifax Convention Centre. Five athletes and two builders will be celebrated for their outstanding contributions to Nova Scotia sport, including another Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame first!
These inductees include arguably Nova Scotia’s greatest female basketball and soccer players, the most beloved player ever to compete with the Halifax Mooseheads, the province’s biggest rugby star, two incredibly dedicated builders and promoters of local sport, and our first ever Special Olympics athlete. A force to be reckoned with in the sport of power lifting, highly decorated Special Olympics athlete Jackie Barret will make history joining the Hall of Fame this year.
Barrett will be inducted with the all-time leading scorer for Canadian women’s university basketball, Justine Colley; varsity and national team soccer superstar Suzanne Muir; Mooseheads legend and NHL player Jody Shelley; and, the record-holder for the most caps as a Canadian rugby scrum half, Morgan Williams. In the builder category, long-time Little League coach, baseball manager and community hero Henry Boutilier, along with international basketball official and mentor Roger Caulfield, will also be inducted on November 15.
The evening will be hosted by Hall of Fame CEO Bruce Rainnie. As master of ceremonies for the 21st consecutive year, Rainnie is excited to showcase this distinguished class of inductees with his friendly and entertaining interview style.
Tickets for the 2019 Induction Night are on sale now at the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. Call 902-404-3343 to place your order.

The National Mascot Hall of Fame (MHOF) celebrated its Inaugural Induction Weekend June 14-16, 2019 in Whiting, Indiana (just 30 minutes from downtown Chicago)! As the new home for the unsung heroes of sports, we celebrated the induction of our 2019 HOF Class including The Nittany Lion from Penn State University, Tommy Hawk from the Chicago Blackhawks, Sluggerrr from the Kansas City Royals, and Benny the Bull from the Chicago Bulls. They join an elite group of 17 previously inducted mascots, 12 of which were on hand this weekend to help inaugurate their new hall of fame home and celebrate the new inductees.

The weekend began with an Opening Reception on Friday evening, June 14th. Reggy, the official mascot of the Mascot Hall of Fame, introduced the 2019 Inductee Class before a crowd of MHOF guests, members, and sports industry executives, including current and former mascot performers. The weekend continued Saturday with a members-only breakfast hosted by Reggy where the 4 inductees mixed and mingled with the attendees. Saturday culminated in an all-day mascot-fest inside the MHOF museum walls. As many as 19 pro and collegiate sports mascots were on hand throughout the day inside the MHOF and outside at the 2-day Mascot HOF Fan Fest being held on the adjacent street to the MHOF.

The weekend was highlighted by the shortest parade on Earth – an entire 800 feet from Oil City Stadium to the MHOF – with mascots arriving on foot to the stage in preparation for the official Induction Ceremony to honor our four 2019 inductees. All mascots, including previously inducted ones, were honored with their very own personalized Mascot HOF ring to commemorate their membership to the Hall of Fame.

 

Over 1,500 visitors, members and sports fans joined us throughout the weekend from across the country to participate in the celebration. You can watch the entire Induction Ceremony, which was broadcast live on Facebook Live, on our YouTube Channel – https://youtu.be/Oi9pS0jXeEc

 

For more information on the Mascot Hall of Fame, visit www.mascothalloffame.com.

 

The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame has had a busy start to the summer.
Our newest exhibit, Evolution of Sport, opened on June 6 and takes visitors through the history and evolution of the tools of the trade for numerous sports. Using artifacts from our permanent collection, visitors can see the progression of safety equipment and sporting implements from the 19th century to today as technology and new materials changed the sports we play.
The exhibit also features a touch table which allows visitors to interact with some vintage equipment to get a better feel for how sports were played in the near and distant past. The exhibit will run until August 17.
Our Creating Active Champions program begins on July 2 for another year. The program is offered over seven weeks for students between the ages of 4-12. Over their 90-minute stay, guests will learn some of Saskatchewan’s sports history while also taking part in physical activities on our multi-sport simulator, adaptive curling rink and also playing games outside in Victoria Park adjacent to the Hall.
The program is offered twice a day until August 16. Available spaces were more than 70 per cent full in advance. Thanks to our community and sports agency sponsors, each child will receive a gift bag with equipment to help them stay active and other sports-related goodies.
After a long winter, we kicked off the warmer weather by hitting the road with our mobile exhibit trailer as part of our Never Give Up program.
The program and trailer toured schools in the province with SSHF inductee Ted Jaleta who shared his inspiring story with the students. Jaleta fled the Ethiopian Civil War after being shot, imprisoned and tortured before escaping and settling in Canada in 1982.
The Never Give Up program began in 2011 and has featured a number of Saskatchewan sports personalities over the years who have shared their stories of overcoming obstacles and hardships to achieve their success.

ISHA Announces Grants for Conference, Special Project

The International Sports Heritage Association (ISHA) is pleased to announce the availability of four different grants totaling nearly $5,000 that are available to members. The grants are supported through the ISHA Founder’s Fund.

The ISHA board of directors approved two conference travel grants available to members in good standing. Each is worth up to $1,000. These grants are available for institution members, including emerging professionals and members living outside Canada and the United States of America. Two other grants are available to cover the costs of conference registration only.

Additionally, ISHA is offering a Special Project Grant of up to $2,000 available to member institutions. This grant may be used for projects that increase collection capacity, public access, awareness and interpretation, as well as improve documentation and preservation.

The deadline for the conference registration and travel grants is June 30, 2019. Decisions are expected to be made by mid-August, offering members the opportunity to take advantage of reduced transportation costs. The application is available online and attached. Please email completed applications to [email protected]

Additional requirements can be found on the applications.

The annual ISHA Conference will be held from Oct. 23-24, 2019, in Wichita, Kansas, and will be hosted by the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.

The Founder’s Fund raises money to support ISHA grants through initiatives like the silent auction, reverse raffle and individual or corporate donations. In 2020 a sponsor will be sought to fund one of the $1,000 travel grants.

 

 

The National Soccer Hall of Fame Wins GOLD Muse Award for Research and Innovation

NEC and National Soccer Hall of Fame are the first to use facial recognition technology to individualize a guest’s experience in a sports and entertainment venue

Frisco, TX (May 21, 2019) – The National Soccer Hall of Fame’s facial recognition technology got some recognition of its own.

The American Alliance of Museums Media and Technology Network’s awarded the National Soccer Hall of Fame the Gold Muse Award for Research and Innovation for its “Facial Recognition Personalization Software” on Monday night. FC Dallas President Dan Hunt and Mark Ikeno, CEO of NEC Corporation of America, accepted the award at AAM’s Media & Technology MUSE Awards in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“It’s an honor to have the National Soccer Hall of Fame recognized amongst some of the most influential and forward-thinking institutions in the industry, both domestic and international,” National Soccer Hall of Fame Executive Director Djorn Buchholz said. “There are many partners who worked collaboratively to bring this first of its kind personalization system to life and we are thrilled to share this award with all of them.”

“To be a part of the great institutions recognized is really special – not only to win our category, but because we were the only sports venue winner,” Hunt said. “It’s a culmination of bringing our facial recognition software and doing something that nobody else has done in the entire world. Our partners at Cortina Productions and HealyKohler Design took what NEC can do, and made it forward-facing and integrated it to the museum experience. We’re proud to lead the way at the National Soccer Hall of Fame.”

Powered by NEC and its NeoFace® facial recognition software, National Soccer Hall of Fame guests experience a custom-tailored tour unlike anything they’ve experienced in a sports setting. NEC and the National Soccer Hall of Fame are the first to use facial recognition technology to individualize a guest’s experience in a sports and entertainment venue.

During registration, visitors create a profile by selecting their favorite teams, position on the pitch and level of soccer fandom. The National Soccer Hall of Fame’s 15 interactive exhibits incorporate the facial recognition technology to recognize guests as they approach and tailor the content to the visitor’s taste. Through the interactives, visitors can build their dream US National Team, design their own MLS kits, create a scarf that can be printed on-site and test their soccer skills with gesture-based technology and virtual reality.
About the National Soccer Hall of Fame
The National Soccer Hall of Fame was originally founded in 1950 by the Philadelphia Old-Timers Association to recognize individuals for their outstanding contributions to American soccer. In 1979, the National Soccer Museum, as a physical entity, was established in Oneonta, NY. It was officially recognized as the National Soccer Hall of Fame by the U.S. Soccer Federation in 1983.

In June of 1999, the National Soccer Hall of Fame opened a 30,000 square-foot museum in Oneonta where it housed a collection of more than 80,000 items. The facility closed in February of 2010.

In 2013 FC Dallas owners, Clark and Dan Hunt, launched a campaign to bring the Hall of Fame to Frisco, TX. Their late father, Lamar Hunt, was inducted in the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1982. In 1999, he received the Hall’s highest honor, the Medal of Honor. He remains one of only three individuals to have won the award.

The National Soccer Hall of Fame at Toyota Stadium opened to the public on November 2, 2018.

The National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame (NPASHF) announced today Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN is the recipient of the organization’s newly-originated Tony Kubek Media Award.

Wojnarowski will be the inaugural recipient of the NPASHF’s Tony Kubek Media Award, presented to a Polish-American media member for outstanding contributions to any form of sports media, including but not limited to, print, broadcast, and internet media. He will be recognized at the NPASHF’s Annual Induction Banquet on Thursday, June 20, in Troy, Michigan.

Wojnarowski (nicknamed “Woj” by his legion of followers) is proud of his Polish heritage.  He was born in Hartford, Connecticut. Grew up in Bristol where he went to Bristol Central HS. then  graduated from St. Bonaventure University. His media career has included stops with the Hartford Courant, Fresno Bee, The Record, Yahoo Sports, and since 2017, with ESPN where he is widely recognized as the top NBA insider and news breaker. Wojnarowski is integral to  ESPN’s multimedia coverage of the NBA covering the league, its teams, players, free agency, the NBA Draft, the NBA Summer League and more. His social media  following is one of the highest of any U.S. media member. In 2006, Wojnarowski authored the New York Times best-seller , “The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball’s Most Improbable Dynasty (Gotham Books.)

Tony Kubek is also a proud Polish-American. He was a former New York Yankees shortstop (1957-1965), a 4-time All-Star, 3-time World Series Champion and the 1957 American League Rookie of the Year. Following his on-field career, Kubek became perhaps the most famous network television baseball analyst, working alongside greats like Jim Simpson, Curt Gowdy, Joe Garagiola and Bob Costas on NBC Sports coverage of Major League Baseball. Kubek also worked games for Canada’s CTV and CSN, and Madison Square Garden Network. Kubek was awarded the Ford C. Frick award in 2009 for broadcast excellence by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. He was enshrined into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame in 1982.

The 47th Annual Induction Banquet will be Thursday, June 20, 2019, at the American Polish Cultural Center in Troy, Michigan.  Tickets for the banquet, which begins at 5:30 p.m., are $125 and can be ordered by calling (248) 259-3428.