Texas Tech University Athletics
Tech Football Makes San Diego History
July 27, 2005 | Football
July 27, 2005
By Jenna Sampson
Tech football fans who attended the 2004 Holiday Bowl in San Diego to watch the Red Raiders pounce Cal Berkley 45-31 may have a reason to return to sunny Southern California. The San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum features a new permanent Holiday Bowl display complete with helmets and game memorabilia from both teams. The display features complete details of all Holiday Bowl games since its inception in 1978.
The three-level, 68,000 square foot complex is the nation's largest multi-sport museum. It includes a state-of-the-art theatre and an interactive media center, in addition to impressive exhibits. The Sports Theater shows various films on a daily basis. Fans can watch OSU's Barry Sanders rush for five touchdowns in the 1988 Holiday Bowl or Jim McMahon's famous "Hail Mary" pass to Clay Brown to seal a comeback victory for BYU versus SMU in the 1980 Holiday Bowl.
"San Diego is the ultimate among local sports museums," said Mike Brooslin, curator of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as well as president of International Association of Sports Museums and Halls of Fame. "There aren't many museums like San Diego, period. There are a lot of specialty sports museums and regions with museums, but in terms of locality, San Diego is unique."
Among the first donations were bats Ted Williams used to hit .406 in 1941, a racket Maureen Connolly used to win Wimbledon and Archie Moore's gloves and robes from a championship boxing match.
The Hall's exhibits cover a broad spectrum of sports from high school to the professional ranks. Traditional sports such as baseball, football, and basketball are accompanied by exhibits for the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, Surfing Legends, Action Sports, Disabled Athletes, and Olympians. Other sport exhibits include motor racing, aquatics, and sailing.
The entrance to the Hall provides the visitor the feeling of stepping into a stadium atmosphere. An upper deck, where the Hall of Fame plaques are found, looks down on a hardwood floor in the main lobby. The lobby is used as a media center for press conferences and lunch gatherings, including the Hall of Champions Sports at Lunch Speaker Series. A press conference for Tiger Woods and the 2004 Buick Invitational was staged on the hardwood floor.
The football exhibit covers the history of the San Diego Chargers from Sid Gillman and Don Coryell, to Bobby Ross' Super Bowl season. A large mural explains the development of the West Coast Offense from Gillman to today's recognized masters of the NFL passing game.
"Our future is to be a 'can't miss' destination that incorporates interactive exhibits and creates a truly one-of-a-kind sports experience," said Al Kidd, Executive Director of the Hall of Champions.
Tech fans can access additional information including museum hours and admission prices on the San Diego Hall of Champions website at www.sdhoc.com. Balboa Park is also home to the World Famous San Diego Zoo, 15 museums, 85 performing arts and cultural centers, gardens, hiking and biking trails, and restaurants.
