When people think of Ohio and sports they often think of the Buckeyes, the Cleveland Browns or the Cincinnati Reds. These stories are all definitely part of the rich sports heritage of the state, but there are so many other stories as well. The Ohio Roller Derby. Doug Brown and his skateboards. The Toledo Mudhens. Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and Buster Douglas. Sarah Fisher and Katie Smith. All of these stories are unique Ohio stories and in just eight short months we will launch an exhibit that will share all of these stories and more.
This exhibit, Ohio–Champion of Sports, will be unlike any exhibit we have ever had at the Ohio History Center! Highly interactive, full of stories told by the athletes, owners and coaches themselves through recorded interviews, and offering you opportunities to contribute your ideas and photos to the exhibit, it will share the rich and varied stories of sports across our state. Organized in six thematic zones- Victory, Adversity, Character, Tradition, Identity, and Innovation–the exhibit will share stories of Ohio sports present, past and future.
We’ll share stories like Buster Douglas talking about how his parents shaped his career. The story of why Mike Brown felt it was so important to purchase the Bengals. The story of how the legendary Tressel sweater vest came to be. And the story of what it felt like for Sarah Fisher to be the youngest woman to ever drive in the Indy 500 at 19 years old.
Stay tuned to this blog for sneak peeks at the exhibit, the stories inside it, the objects that we will include and the work that goes into creating an experience like this. We will also be asking you to help contribute to the exhibit in this space because we want it to belong to all Ohioans! Set to open March 16, 2019 and run through Labor Day 2020, the exhibit will be the next generation of Ohio History Connection exhibits. We’re excited to invite you to join us in the journey toward March 16!
