Playing With The Past

Sports hall highlights Sun Devil excellence

For more than 100 years, ASU athletics has built a tradition of excellence in the hearts and minds of fans and alumni. Now that history has a new physical home: the Bill and Judy Schaefer Sports Hall of Fame.

Located in the first floor lobby of the Nadine and Ed Carson Student-Athlete Center on the Tempe campus, the facility pays tribute to former student-athletes, coaches and administrators who have influenced Sun Devil athletics. The hall opened to rave reviews at the end of October.

"This was beyond our imagination. We are thrilled,” said Judy Schaeffer – who, along with her husband, Bill, donated the funds to develop the facility. “It captures exactly what we wanted to showcase: the past and the present, so it can help mold the future.”

The Sports Hall of Fame, designed as a point of pride for the university and the athletics department, features items chronicling the history of ASU athletics dating back to the early 1900s. Visitors are able to use interactive stations to look up information on former student-athletes, as well as view video from games and read feature stories about them.

The hall also features window graphics, legends banners of the top 20 student-athletes in ASU history, and memorabilia from the Olympic Games, as well as information on student-athletes who have gone into the professional ranks.

The hall, which had been in development for several years, features representatives from all of ASU’s major sports, including football and basketball. It also includes features on those who excelled in other sports, such as badminton and archery – sports that ASU dominated in years past.

"We covered every sport, including ones that aren’t active any more,” said Bob Eger, unofficial ASU sports historian and author of the book “Maroon & Gold: A History of Sun Devil Athletics.” “Women’s sports are definitely represented. I think we did a good job covering all of the big events through ASU history.”

Many of the display cases include authentic memorabilia: score books, uniforms, cards and program covers, and many of the major trophies earned by ASU teams. Donations of items have come from former ASU athletes, as well as longtime Sun Devil supporters and community members.

"There have been a lot of people coming forward with additional artifacts,” Bill Schaefer said. "Hopefully, even more will come to light now this is open.”

David Benedict, an ASU associate athletic director who led the development of the hall, says that one of the key features to the hall is its flexibility as new items come to light – or as events warrant.

"There is a real possibility we could win a national championship at some point,” he said. “If that happens, we can quickly add that to the exhibit.”

The Bill and Judy Schaefer Sports Hall of Fame was designed by Gallagher & Associates, a design firm from Bethesda, Md.; graphics were provided by Phoenix-based Image Craft; and Nashville-based 1220 Exhibits provided the fabrication and installation. All of the audio and video technology in the hall is from True Story Films, based out of Phoenix. Eger provided all the text.

The Bill and Judy Schaefer Sports Hall of Fame is open to the public every weekday during regular business hours.

Gary Campbell is an editor for the ASU Media Relations department.

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Visitors to the new Bill and Judy Schaefer Sports Hall of Fame can explore 100 years of sports excellence.

Bill and Judy Schaefer (far left and far right, respectively) and family.

Photos: Courtesy of ASU Media Relations

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