Oregon Sports Hall of Fame facts for kids
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| Established | 1980 |
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| Type | Hall of Fame |
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame celebrates amazing athletes, teams, and coaches from Oregon. It honors people who have done great things in sports. The first group of sports heroes was added in 1980. New members join the Hall of Fame every fall. This special place is run by Oregon Sports Action. The museum is currently closed because it is getting ready to move to a new location.
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History of the Hall of Fame
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame started in 1980. Its first group had 54 members. These included famous Olympians like Mack Robinson and Don Schollander. It also honored baseball star Johnny Pesky and football legend Norm van Brocklin. Heisman Trophy winner Terry Baker and basketball coach Slats Gill were also part of this first group.
New members are added each fall. This happens at the Oregon Sports Awards ceremony. In recent years, this event has been held in Beaverton, Oregon.
Helping Students with Scholarships
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame also helps young athletes. It has an important goal to teach about the good things sports can bring. Because of this, it gives scholarships to excellent student athletes from Oregon. These students plan to go to colleges in Oregon. The scholarship winners are honored during the Hall of Fame ceremony.
Where the Museum Has Been
The museum has moved a few times over the years. From 1986 to 1997, it was in a 3,000 square foot basement. This was under the Standard Insurance Center in downtown Portland, Oregon.
In 1997, the museum moved to a bigger place. This new spot had 7,000 square feet of space. It featured fun, hands-on exhibits. There were also videos and cool sports items. Some of these items included Terry Baker's Heisman Trophy. This was the first Heisman given to an athlete from the West Coast. You could also see Mack Robinson's Olympic jersey. One of Dale Murphy's Golden Gloves was there too. And Bill Walton's jersey from the 1977 Portland Trail Blazers NBA championship game was on display.
In 2008, the museum had to move again. The building it was in needed the space for offices. So, the museum moved to Beaverton, Oregon. It was in the lobby area of the Oregon Sports Action headquarters. This building also had offices for many amateur sports groups. That building was replaced in 2019. The museum is now closed as it prepares to move to a new, still unannounced, location.
Honored Members of the Hall of Fame
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame has honored many individuals and teams. Here are some of the sports and the types of people who have been inducted:
Individual Sports Stars
- Adaptive Sports: Athletes who compete with disabilities, like Aaron Paulson.
- Auto Racing: Drivers such as Hershel McGriff and Len Sutton.
- Baseball: Many great players, including Bobby Doerr, Dale Murphy, and Johnny Pesky.
- Basketball: A long list of talented players like Danny Ainge, Clyde Drexler, Gary Payton, and Bill Walton.
- Bowling: Top bowlers like Marshall Holman and Dave Husted.
- Boxing: Fighters such as Ray Lampkin and Denny Moyer.
- Broadcasting: Sports announcers like Bill Schonely.
- Coaching: Famous coaches who led teams to success, including Rick Adelman and Bill Bowerman.
- Football: Many football heroes, including Terry Baker, Dan Fouts, and Steven Jackson.
- Golf: Talented golfers like Peter Jacobsen and Mary Budke.
- Gymnastics: Gymnasts such as Joy Selig Petersen.
- Hockey: Players like Connie Madigan.
- Multi-Sport Athlete: People who excelled in many different sports.
- Officiating: Referees and umpires who made sure games were fair, like Jim Joyce.
- Rodeo: Rodeo champions like Larry Mahan.
- Skiing: Skiers who achieved greatness, including Bill Johnson and Jean Saubert.
- Soccer: Soccer stars like Clive Charles and Shannon MacMillan.
- Softball: Great softball players, including Betty Evans Grayson.
- Swimming and Diving: Swimmers and divers like Don Schollander and Suzanne Zimmerman.
- Tennis: Tennis players such as Jonathan Stark.
- Track and Field: Many incredible runners, jumpers, and throwers. This includes Ashton Eaton, Dick Fosbury, Steve Prefontaine, and Alberto Salazar.
- Wrestling: Wrestlers like Robin Reed and Les Gutches.
- Special Contribution to Sports: People who helped sports in other ways, like Philip H. Knight (co-founder of Nike).
Teams That Made History
The Hall of Fame also honors amazing teams from Oregon. These teams achieved great success in their sports:
- 1917 University of Oregon Rose Bowl champions
- 1938–39 Oregon "Tall Firs" basketball team
- 1942 Oregon State Beavers Rose Bowl champions
- 1976–77 Portland Trail Blazers (NBA champions)
- 1994 Oregon Ducks football team
- 2006 Oregon State Beavers baseball team
- 2007 Oregon State Beavers baseball team
- Portland Mavericks baseball team
