Penn State All-Sports Museum

Penn State All-Sports Museum

Penn State All-Sports Museum Reveals Once Hidden History Through Interactive Exhibits

The Penn State All-Sports Museum is an interactive delight for returning alumni and visitors of all ages. Just follow the canopy from Curtin Road into the southwest corner of Beaver Stadium to find this all-inclusive archive of Penn State sports history.

Opened in 2002 during the last stadium expansion, the Museum exhibits highlights from all 29 varsity sports at Penn State and even from three discontinued sports: boxing, rifle and bowling. The Museum honors high-achieving individuals, focusing on what it means to be a well-rounded student-athlete at Penn State. It also shows how the university's sports equipment and competitions have changed during the last 130 years.

Particularly interesting is the highly interactive nature of the Museum. They have everything from low-tech Q&A boards to high-tech, touch-screen computers. For each sport there is a hands-on component that will delight sports fans of any age. You can handle a replica football from the early 1900s and compare it to a football of today. In the track-and-field exhibit area, you can pick up a javelin, a shot-put or a discus. You can even try your hand at fencing, throw punches at the heavy boxing bag from a bygone era, or pin down a life-size wrestling dummy.

Some pieces of history have been preserved in pristine condition, while others were a lot less fortunate.  In 1954 the Penn State men's basketball team reached the Final Four and was honored with a 3rd-place trophy - their best performance to date. This forgotten trophy was finally recovered from the back of a closet in Rec Hall.  Penn State's only Olympic gold medalist, Horace Ashenfelter, has his medal proudly displayed.  He won the 3,000 meter steeplechase in the 1952 Olympics.

Other pieces have been contributed by alumni. The Museum's director, Ken Hickman, received an e-mail from the 1986-1988 Nittany Lion mascot (who covered the 1986 national title season) wanting to know if the Museum would be interested in his complete mascot uniform from the 1987 Fiesta Bowl National Championship game. Of course the answer was “yes!”

While most museums feature a static period in a fixed history, the Penn State All-Sports Museum is constantly evolving because history is being made even today. Artifacts from JoePa's 400th victory and Penn State's 2009 NIT Championship will be making their way in shortly.  And don't forget about the upcoming Division 1 men's and women's hockey programs.

Groups and school trips are welcomed. Please contact Aimee Brown at 863-5689 for more information on planning group programs.

If you have any Penn State sports artifacts that you would like to showcase at the Museum, please contact Ken via e-mail at krh132@psu.edu.

Admission:

Admission is free, however we ask for suggested donations of $ 5.00 for adults and $ 3.00 for children (under 14), senior citizens (65 and older), and students. Group tours and special programs are free.

Parking:

Weekday parking is available in the metered lot between the Museum and the Bryce Jordan Center (BJC); Weekend parking is free in Beaver Stadium lots, except when there are special events at the stadium or BJC.

Winter Operating Hours (until Mid-March)

Monday-Thursday: Closed
Friday & Saturday: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. - 4 p.m.

For additional information, please call (814) 865-0044 or visit the All-Sports Museum section on GoPSUsports.com.