Before stepping through the turnstiles of Oriole Park or M&T Bank Stadium, take a walk through more than 100 yearsof Maryland sports history at the Sports Legends Museum.
“The reason we wanted to create [Sports Legends] was out of necessity,” Executive Director Mike Gibbons said. “We had a burgeoning collection. We went from 100 Babe Ruth artifacts to over 10,000 that represented Maryland.”
Sports Legends, which is owned and operated by the Babe Ruth Museum, is housed within Camden Station, a historic stop along the B&O Railroad during the Civil War.
Some of Sports Legends? most proud pieces of hardware are the University of Maryland men?s and women?s basketball national championship trophies as well as the 1970 Baltimore Colts Super Bowl V trophy.
Additional Colts artifacts include game-worn jerseys, the mascot costume and a pair of Johnny Unitas? famous black boots.
The Colts and Memorial Stadium exhibits draw the strongest emotional response from visitors, chief curator Shawn Herne said.
“The two areas where people cry the most are the Memorial Stadium demolition display, and that goes for Orioles, Colts and even early Ravens fans,” he said. “Then of course the Colts moving. That van and the soundtracks of the news reports about the Colts being gone draw a strong response.”
Sports Legends also has the entire history of baseball in Baltimore on display, including a Negro Leagues exhibit and the story of the minor league Orioles.
The history of the Orioles is presented chronologically, from the 1800s to the arrival of the major league Orioles in 1954 to the 2007 version of the club.
Soon to be inducted Hall of Famer, Cal Ripken Jr. is prominently showcased in the Oriole exhibit including the banners hung from the warehouse the night he broke Lou Gehrig?s consecutive-games record.
In just more than hour, the athletic history of Baltimore and Maryland can be experienced, giving any visitor a greater appreciation for sports in Charm City.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Sports Legends Museum
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and open until 7:30 p.m. on Orioles and Ravens game days
WHERE: Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore City
ADMISSION: $10 for adults; $8 for senior citizens; $6.50 for children ages 3 to 12
INFO: 410-727-1539 or sportslegendsatcamdenyards.com
