Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards

Last updated
Sports Legends Museum at the former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Camden Station SportsLegendsMuseumCamdenYards.jpg
Sports Legends Museum at the former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Camden Station

Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards was a non-profit sports museum in Baltimore, Maryland. The museum is owned and operated by the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum. It opened on May 14, 2005, with Julia Ruth Stevens, the daughter of celebrated baseball player Babe Ruth, in attendance. [1] The 22,000-square-foot (2,044 m2) museum, housed in the former Camden Station, was adjacent to the main gate of Oriole Park at Camden Yards and had artifacts and interactive exhibits profiling Maryland's sports history. Exhibits included such area teams as the Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore Ravens, Baltimore Colts, Maryland Terrapins, Baltimore Elite Giants, Baltimore Black Sox, and the Baltimore Blast. [2]

Contents

A replica of the Vince Lombardi Trophy from Super Bowl V was part of the museum's collection. [3] The original trophy from the Colts' 1971 Super Bowl victory was taken by former owner Carroll Rosenbloom [3] after he traded the Colts for the Los Angeles Rams in 1972. [4] A replica trophy was later made for the Colts, but in the Midnight Move of 1984, the team was not allowed to keep the trophy. That trophy stayed in the city of Baltimore's possession, and was placed in the Sports Legends Museum. [5]

After ten years of operation the museum closed abruptly on October 12, 2015, after failing to reach an agreement with the Maryland Stadium Authority for the continued use of Camden Station. [6] Geppi's Entertainment Museum, which opened in September 2006, was located on the upper level of the building, directly above where Sports Legends at Camden Yards was, until 2018. The nearby Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum remains in existence as a separate museum on Emory Street, two and a half blocks from Camden Station. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oriole Park at Camden Yards</span> Baseball stadium in Baltimore, Maryland

Oriole Park at Camden Yards, commonly known as Camden Yards, is a baseball stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s. It was completed in 1992 to replace Memorial Stadium. The stadium is in downtown Baltimore, a few blocks west of the Inner Harbor in the Camden Yards Sports Complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inner Harbor</span> Neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland, United States

The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and landmark in Baltimore, Maryland. It was described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as "the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world". The Inner Harbor is located at the mouth of Jones Falls, creating the wide and short northwest branch of the Patapsco River. The district includes any water west of a line drawn between the foot of President Street and the American Visionary Art Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore Memorial Stadium</span> Former sports stadium in Baltimore

Baltimore Memorial Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, that formerly stood on 33rd Street on an oversized block officially called Venable Park, a former city park from the 1920s. The site was bound by Ellerslie Avenue to the west, 36th Street to the north, and Ednor Road to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Vessels</span> American gridiron football player (1931–2001)

Billy Dale Vessels was an American professional football player at the halfback position. He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners, winning a national championship in 1950 and being awarded the 1952 Heisman Trophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carroll Rosenbloom</span> American football player, owner (1907–1979)

Dale Carroll Rosenbloom was an American businessman. He was the owner of two National Football League (NFL) franchises: he was the first owner of the Baltimore Colts and later switched teams, taking ownership of the Los Angeles Rams in 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camden Yards Sports Complex</span> Sports facility in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

The Camden Yards Sports Complex is located in the center of Baltimore, Maryland. The complex is composed of multiple buildings and stadiums including Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium. The two stadiums are home to the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball and the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. The Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum is located approximately two blocks from the main entrance of Camden Yards at Eutaw Street. The complex also features the original Camden Station which formerly housed the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards and Geppi's Entertainment Museum. In addition to the sports facilities, it is also a location for community events such as the Dew Tour's Panasonic Open in June 2007 and 2008, the Baltimore Marathon, and the African American Festival which is held every year.

The Maryland Stadium Authority, MSA, was created by Chapter 283, Acts of 1986 Maryland General Assembly. Its initial mission was to return the National Football League (NFL) to Baltimore. Maryland sought a new football team after former Baltimore Colts owner, Robert Irsay, moved the Colts out of the city in the middle of a snowy night on March 29, 1984. The Authority is a public corporation of Maryland which is authorized to issue tax-exempt bonds for financing its operations. The proceeds from the sale of those bonds and any other revenues collected are deposited in the Maryland Stadium Authority Financing Fund.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ridgely's Delight, Baltimore</span> United States historic place

Ridgely's Delight is a historic residential neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Its borders are formed by Russell and Greene Streets to the east, West Pratt Street to the north, and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from the western to southern tips. It is adjacent to the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and M&T Bank Stadium. It is situated a short walk from MARC Train and the Light Rail's Camden Station, which has made it a popular residence of Washington, D.C., and suburban Baltimore commuters. It is within a 5-minute walk of both Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium and a 10-minute walk from Baltimore's historic Inner Harbor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Baltimore</span> Place in Maryland, United States

Downtown Baltimore is the central business district of the city of Baltimore traditionally bounded by Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the west, Franklin Street to the north, President Street to the east and the Inner Harbor area to the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camden Station</span> Rail station in Baltimore, Maryland, US

Camden Station, now also referred to as Camden Street Station, Camden Yards, and formally as the Transportation Center at Camden Yards, is a train station at the intersection of South Howard and West Camden Streets in Baltimore, Maryland, adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, behind the B&O Warehouse. It is served by MARC commuter rail service and local Light Rail trains.

The 1972 Baltimore Colts season was the 20th season for the team in the National Football League. They finished with 5 wins and 9 losses, third in the AFC East.

The Baltimore Colts relocation to Indianapolis was a successful effort by the then-owner of the Baltimore Colts to relocate the American football team from Baltimore, Maryland, to Indianapolis, Indiana, after the 1983 National Football League (NFL) season. The team began play as the Indianapolis Colts in the 1984 NFL season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oriole Park</span> Baseball stadium in Baltimore, Maryland

Oriole Park was the name of multiple baseball parks in Baltimore, Maryland, all built within a few blocks of each other.

<i>Babes Dream</i> Statue of Babe Ruth in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

Babe's Dream is a 1995 bronze statue of Babe Ruth, by Susan Luery. It is located at West Camden Street and South Eutaw Street, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baltimore Colts</span> Professional American football team in Baltimore, Maryland, from 1953 to 1983

The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It was the second incarnation of the Baltimore Colts, the first having played for three years in the All-America Football Conference and one in the National Football League (NFL). This Baltimore Colts played their home games at Memorial Stadium.

The Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame is a team Hall of Fame dedicated to representing the most significant contributors to the history of the Baltimore Orioles professional baseball team since the first season of Baltimore baseball in 1954, which has inducted players, managers, staff, and other contributors. The Hall of Fame is on display at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland.

Mary Dobkin was an American amateur sports coach and advocate for children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum</span> Babe Ruths Birthplace and Museum in Baltimore

The Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum is a row house located at 216 Emory Street, in Baltimore, Maryland, where baseball legend Babe Ruth was born. The property was restored and opened to the public in 1974 by the Babe Ruth Birthplace Foundation, a non-profit organization.

Steve Rosenbloom is a former American football executive who served as president of the Baltimore Colts and Los Angeles Rams and general manager of the New Orleans Saints.

References

  1. Stiehm, Jamie (May 15, 2005). "Sports history hits home at museum". The Baltimore Sun . p. 1B. Archived from the original on 2017-10-03. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  2. Lyght, Daniel (July 28, 2004). "Camden Yards expansion gives Ruth Museum a place to grow". The Baltimore Sun. p. 1C. Archived from the original on 2017-10-03. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  3. 1 2 Simers, T.J. (29 January 2000). "There Are Many Who Believe Georgia Is the Original Trophy Wife". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  4. "Big Deals". Los Angeles Times. 28 February 1996. Retrieved 3 October 2017. * July 13, 1972--Los Angeles Rams part-owner Robert Irsay purchases the remaining $19 million in stock and swaps franchises with Baltimore Colt owner Carroll Rosenbloom.
  5. "Almost Religion: Baltimore's Colts". Babe Ruth Birthplace and Sports Legends Museums. Babe Ruth Birthplace Foundation, Inc. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
  6. Sherman, Natalie; Encina, Eduardo A.; Barker, Jeff (2015-10-12). "Sports Legends Museum closes its doors". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
  7. "Sports Legends has Moved Out". Babe Ruth Birthplace and Sports Legends Museums. Babe Ruth Birthplace Foundation, Inc. 12 October 2015.

39°17′02″N76°37′09″W / 39.2839°N 76.6192°W / 39.2839; -76.6192