The St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame will host a memorable evening for University of Missouri alums and fans on Saturday, April 12, 2014, at Rams Park in Earth City beginning at 5:30 pm.  Titled “A Salute to Mizzou in St. Lou”, the Hall of Fame will induct three Mizzou sports legends and present major achievement awards.   Three Tigers with storied histories will join the ranks of only 89 others inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame.  They are:  Football Player/Coach/Broadcaster since 1947 John Kadlec, 32-year Head Basketball Coach Norm Stewart and former Football All-American running back Johnny Roland.

One rarely given award and one brand new Special Achievement Award will also be presented.  On the heels of an outstanding 12-2 season and Cotton Bowl victory ranked no. 5 in America at season’s end, Coach Gary Pinkel has been selected as only the third recipient in history to win the “Sportsman of the Year Award”.  Coach Pinkel has also become the winningest football coach in Missouri history.  The previous winners of this award are Albert Pujols and Lou Brock of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The “August A. Busch, Jr. Award” has been created by the Busch Family to honor exceptional business leadership and success in sports.  Billy Busch will present the award to Missouri’s Director of Athletics Mike Alden.  In his 16th year at the helm of the program, Alden has initiated dramatic and positive changes to the size and stature of all Mizzou sports and facilities including the move to the Southeastern Conference.

More honors will be doled out, as the Hall pays tribute by handing out the “Champions Award” to the 1981-82 Tiger basketball squad led by All-American center and St. Louisan Steve Stipanovich who will be joined by his teammates to receive awards.  Possibly the best season ever of Tiger basketball, this team went 27-4 overall, 12-2 to win the Big Eight Conference and went to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen before losing by just one point to the University of Houston.

Also receiving the “Champions Award” will be this past season’s Tiger Football Team.  Some members of the squad will be asked to attend and accept the award.

St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame events are recognized for their very entertaining “interview format” as opposed to speeches!  Current and former “Voices of the Tigers” will be handling the interviews, with the Hall of Fame’s Ron Jacober and Greg Marecek hosting the show.

There are two levels of tickets.  Just 20 tables are being sold at $1,500 for 10 seats in an “Exclusive” roped off area in front of the stage, waiter service for the buffet in this area and special parking.  A special commemorative gift will accompany these tickets.

General admission tickets are $80 which includes the Taste of St. Louis buffet, soft drinks, water, beer and a seat for the program.

Tickets are available by calling Tim Moore at 314-226-1190, online at stlshof.com, and by mail to the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame, 1400 South 3rd St., St. Louis, Mo. 63104.  For more information, contact Tim Moore or Greg Marecek at 314-226-1192.

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) and the National Archives at Kansas City (NARA), in partnership with Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association/University of Missouri-Kansas City Continuing Legal Education (KCMBA/UMKC-CLE), will present  “A Supreme Decision: The Curt Flood Symposium”  on Sunday and Monday March 30-31, 2014.  The event will feature baseball legal and historical experts from across the nation, including Stuart Banner (UCLA), Ed Edmonds (Norte Dame) Mitchell Nathanson (Villanova), Abraham Khan (University of South Florida), and Brad Snyder (University of Wisconsin).  Scheduled special guests include Lou Hoynes (former attorney for MLB), Allan Zerman (former attorney for Curt Flood), and Curt Flood, Jr.

All events will take place at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.  Registration fees begin at $10.00 and include access to the NLBM gallery.  For $25.00, you can reserve a post event box lunch and receive a special one-year membership to the NLBM.

Three hours of Continuing Legal Education Credits will be offered to registered participants for $95.00 through KCMBA/UMKC-CLE.  Link to http://kcmba.inreachce.com/  to sign up.

Curt Flood (1938-1997) grew up in Oakland, California and became an iconic figure in sports and history when he refused a trade and challenged Major League Baseball’s restrictive “reserve clause” and its long standing anti-trust status.  His legal case rose as far as the United States Supreme Court in 1972.  He lost his challenge, and his baseball career, but helped pave the way for free agency in baseball.  Guests and scholars at the symposium will discuss Flood’s personal and professional life, his influences from the Civil Rights Movement, his impact on sports and media, as well as the various arguments and precedents surrounding his legal case.

Registration is now open at: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-supreme-decision-the-curt-flood-symposium-tickets-10457417417?aff=es2&rank=1&sid=688501e68ac411e3a29b12313d225df9

In celebration of the 94th Anniversary of the founding of the Negro Leagues, the NLBM will host “A Stroke of Genius!”: A conversation with acclaimed artist and author Kadir Nelson on the Field of Legends exhibition area, Thursday, February 13, 2014 at 6:00 pm.

Nelson is the illustrator for several notable children’s books including the bestselling We Are the Ship: the Story of the Negro Leagues and Testing the Ice: A True Story of Jackie Robinson. He will also discuss and sign copies of other books, available through the Extra Inning Museum Store, including Mandela, Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans, and I Have a Dream.

The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are suggested. NLBM members will receive special seating with reservations. Please call 816-221-1920 today to reserve your place.

(To learn more about Kadir Nelson, link to www.KadirNelson.com)

More than 900 people filled the WTCC November 2, 2013, to see six new members inducted to the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. The large audience welcomed athletes Lawrence Hafey and John Hatch, the 1985 Kentville Wildcats baseball and 1981 Acadia Axemen football teams and builders Tak Kikuchi and Steve Fairbairn.

The event, hosted by Bruce Rainnie in his 14^th year as master of ceremonies, brought loud applause and boisterous cheers for each inductee. Rainnie generated laughs and poignancy with his insightful questions of each member and welcomed Hall of Famers from inductions past to present the new inductees with their awards onstage.

Representatives of the night’s sponsors also took part in the award distribution, and Ian Thompson— associate publisher with presenting sponsor The Chronicle Herald— took to the podium to congratulate the new Hall of Famers, recalling instances when the honoured guests had made headlines with their achievements. Egg Films’ superb video tribute to the inductees captured career highlights and peer testimonials that kept the audience entranced.

St. Francis Xavier basketball sensation John Hatch travelled all the way from his home in Switzerland for the induction ceremony and commented on the great turnout for the event: “People have come out from X tonight in numbers to support this, and that was the kind of spirit we had.”

“It was great to be inducted with teams tonight because that’s what it’s all about,” added Hatch in his interview with Rainnie. 2013 marked the first time that two teams were inducted in the same year.

The USGA Museum will host the 2014 African American Golf History Symposium on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The symposium will be held in conjunction with the opening of the Museum’s newest exhibit, “More Than A Game,” which focuses on the creation of African-American golf clubs during the Jim Crow era and their positive impact on communities across the country.

The exhibit’s centerpiece is the story of the late William “Bill” Powell and the Clearview Golf Club. Founded in 1946 in East Canton, Ohio, it is the only public golf course in the United States designed, built and owned by an African American. “More Than A Game” celebrates the contributions of Powell and the other men and women who made sacrifices in an effort to realize their dream of equality on the greens. Also included is a short film produced by Dan Levinson of Moxie Pictures that portrays this inspiring story of passion and social justice. Levinson’s previous work includes the award-winning documentary Uneven Fairways, which premiered on Golf Channel in 2009.

The symposium will feature discussions with Bill Powell’s daughter, Renee Powell, who played on the LPGA Tour for many years and is currently the golf professional at Clearview; 12-time PGA Tour winner Calvin Peete, National Black Golf Hall of Fame member Bill Bishop and United Golfers Association champion Madelyn Turner. Attendees will have an opportunity to view the exhibit in the USGA Museum.

The symposium is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Those interested in attending should R.S.V.P. by contacting the USGA Museum at 908-234-2300, x1057.

Clearview’s existence is a testimonial to the vision, determination and integrity of Powell, who overcame the pervasive prejudice and racism of the period in the pursuit of his dream. Powell, a U.S. Army sergeant in World War II, returned home from Europe and set out to build his own golf course in Ohio. Through his passion and determination, he overcame numerous obstacles to complete the nine-hole course, all while working another full-time job and helping to raise three children. Clearview is just one example of how African Americans have been an integral part of the American golf narrative since the beginning.

Artifacts that chronicle Bill Powell’s life are featured in the exhibit, including childhood photographs, his high school football helmet, dog tags from his military career, and a 1960s routing of Clearview Golf Club as Powell sought to expand the course to 18 holes. Visitors will learn about his humble beginnings, his introduction to golf and the profound impact the game had on his life.

Powell’s family has also been an integral part of Clearview’s legacy. His wife of 56 years, Marcella, chaired the UGA Junior Committee at both the state and national level and ran Clearview’s clubhouse until her death in 1996. Their children continue to work at the club, fostering the ideals set forth by Bill and Marcella. Renee was the second African-American member of the LPGA Tour and currently serves as the head golf professional at Clearview. Larry, who started cutting grass at the course at age 8, is now the course superintendent. In 2001, the Clearview Legacy Foundation was established to preserve the course for future generations, to develop improved facilities for teaching the game of golf, and to expand turfgrass research.

Powell’s Clearview Golf Club was not the only African-American golf institution founded in this era. As part of this exhibit, the USGA is honoring other clubs that made significant contributions to minority golf, including Shady Rest Country Club in Scotch Plains, N.J., home course of John Shippen; Langston Golf Course in Washington, D.C., home of the Wake Robin and the Royals Golf Clubs; and Freeway Golf Course in Sicklerville, N.J., home course of Bill Bishop. Also featured are significant trophies from the United Golfers Association, including the UGA Negro National Open Championship Trophy which was donated by Albert F. Harris in 1935.

During the past decade, the USGA became concerned that the history of minorities in the game, specifically African Americans, was not being actively preserved and was in danger of being lost to future generations. In 2010, the USGA jointly founded the African-American Archive with The PGA of America to address this concern. Utilizing the USGA’s Museum resources, a preservation initiative was begun and today the growing archive houses thousands of documents, hundreds of artifacts and many oral histories. “More Than A Game” is the third exhibit in the USGA Museum since 2010 to celebrate minority golf stories.

NEWPORT, R.I., U.S.A., January 9, 2014 – The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, in partnership with the Barcelona Olympic Foundation, has opened a special exhibition entitled Tennis and the Olympic Games, which is now on display at the Olympic and Sports Museum Joan Antoni Samaranch in Barcelona, Spain. The exhibit will be on display through April 2014 and it is open to the public. Tennis and the Olympic Games offers a comprehensive look at the most successful tennis Olympians in history, and highlights the appeal of tennis as one of the world’s most international sports. It also details the interesting role that tennis has played in the Games, having gone from a full medal sport to having no presence for many years, and back to a full medal, extremely popular sport in the last several decades.

The organizers gathered with media and Spanish tennis industry leaders for an opening ceremony today in Barcelona. The exhibit is made possible through a unique tennis partnership among the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, the Barcelona Olympic Foundation, the Spanish Tennis Federation, and the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona – 1899.

“Tennis is one of the world’s most international sports year-round, but when combined with the spirit of the Olympics, the game’s international nature truly shines. The sport has had a rich history within the Olympic movement, and we are delighted for this unique opportunity to showcase tennis’ role in the Games for the fans who visit the Olympic and Sports Museum,” said Hall of Fame President Stan Smith. “The Hall of Fame’s mission is to preserve and celebrate the rich history of tennis, and we are grateful to the Olympic and Sports Museum of Barcelona, and our partners at the Barcelona Olympic Foundation, the Spanish Tennis Federation, and the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona – 1899 for helping us to share this important part of tennis history with an international audience.”

Smith was a speaker at today’s opening ceremony. Joining Smith at the event was José Luis Escañuela, president of the Real Federación Española de Tenis, M. Teresa Fandos, president of the Fundació Barcelona Olímpica, and Albert Agustí, president of the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899.

Hall of Famers Manuel Orantes and Andres Gimeno came out to support the exhibit opening, as did many players. Among those in attendance were Jordi Arrese, who was a silver medalist at Barcelona 1992, José Higueras, Lis Arilla, Jordi Bardou, and Alex Corretja and Albert Costa, doubles bronze medalists from Sydney 2000.

The exhibit features Olympians from many nations, including a full listing of every Olympic and Paralympic tennis medalist in history. There is special emphasis on Spain’s celebrated players, such as Hall of Famer Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Rafael Nadal, Conchita Martinez, and Sergi Bruguera.

Among the highlighted artifacts in the exhibit is a racquet of Andy Murray’s from the 2012 London Games, when he clinched the gold medal before an adoring home crowd at the All England Club. A racquet belonging to London doubles gold medalist Bob Bryan is on display as well.

Highlighting Spain’s great accomplishments in the Games, the exhibit includes memorabilia from Rafael Nadal’s success at Beijing 2008, when he won the gold medal, as well as memorabilia of Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario’s from Atlanta 1996, when she won a silver medal in singles and a bronze in doubles. Spanish players Alex Corretja and Albert Costa contributed their racquets from the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney when they won the bronze medal. In addition, Sergio Casal’s silver medal from the 1988 Games in Seoul is on display. A particularly interesting item in the exhibit is Spaniard Eduardo Flaquer’s scrapbook and racquet from the 1924 Olympic Games, which was the last year that tennis was a medal sport until 1988.

Fans will be able to read about historic victories, such as Steffi Graf’s 1988 Gold Medal, which made her the first person, and the only person to date, to achieve the Golden Slam (all four majors and the Olympic gold medal in one year). Guests will also take away some interesting tennis facts; for example, who would have guessed that the 1900 champion would have won a coffee and liqueur serving table as his Olympic prize, or that some years there were both indoor and outdoor tennis events contested?

The exhibit also showcases the Paralympic Games, highlighting how eight competitors from five nations showed off their skills at the 1988 Seoul Olympics in a convincing demonstration that propelled wheelchair tennis to a full medal sport at Barcelona in 1992.

Imagery throughout the exhibit showcases great moments from the Games, including the unstoppable Williams sisters, who have captured three gold medals in doubles and one each in singles; the extraordinary wheelchair tennis champion Esther Vergeer, who has won five Paralympic gold medals (3 in singles, 2 in doubles); and the overjoyed Andy Murray, from the moment he captured gold before his home crowd at the Olympics in London in 2012.

The Olympic and Sports Museum Juan Antonio Samaranch is managed by the Barcelona Olympic Foundation. Through changing exhibits and interactive displays, the museum showcases how the qualities of sports transcend all cultures and places special emphasis on the Olympic spirit.

Located in Newport, Rhode Island, USA, the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of tennis, honoring its greatest champions and leaders, and inspiring the future of the sport. The Hall of Fame operates an extensive museum that highlights the history of tennis from its 12th century origins through present-day, as well as the fascinating life stories of the game’s greatest athletes and industry contributors. The museum’s collection features vintage tennis equipment, video highlights and iconic photos, tennis apparel ranging from Victorian dresses to modern fashions, tennis inspired paintings and fine arts, and memorabilia from remarkable moments as recent as the current-year Grand Slams. Changing exhibits and special exhibitions, similar to Tennis and the Olympic Games are displayed year-round in the museum.