Sports Legends at Camden Yards
Encyclopedia
Sports Legends at Camden Yards is a non-profit sports museum in Baltimore
, Maryland
, United States
, owned and operated by the Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum. It opened on May 14, 2005, with the daughter of celebrated baseball player Babe Ruth
in attendance. The 22000 square feet (2,044 m²) museum is adjacent to the main gate of Oriole Park at Camden Yards
and has artifacts and interactive exhibits profiling Maryland’s sports history. Exhibits include such area teams as the Baltimore Orioles
, Baltimore Ravens
, Baltimore Colts
, University of Maryland
, Baltimore Elite Giants
, Baltimore Black Sox
, and the Baltimore Blast
.
The museum is housed in the former Camden Station
, originally constructed in 1857 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
(B&O) as its main passenger station in Baltimore. After being vacant since the 1980s, the depot's exterior was restored in the 1990s as part of the development of the Camden Yards Sports Complex
. Later interior renovations and remodeling were made to accommodate the building's adaptive reuse as a sports museum. Geppi's Entertainment Museum
, which opened in September 2006, is located on the upper level of the building, directly above Sports Legends at Camden Yards. The nearby Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum remains in existence as a separate museum on Emory Street, two and a half blocks from Camden Station.
A replica of the Vince Lombardi Trophy
from Super Bowl V
is located inside the museum. The original trophy from the Colts' 1971 trophy was taken by former owner Carroll Rosenbloom
when he traded the Colts for the Rams
shortly afterwards in a shrewd deal. A replica trophy was later made for the Colts, but in the Midnight Move of 1984, the team was not allowed to keep the trophy. That trophy stayed in the city of Baltimore's possession, and was placed in the Sports Legends museum.
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, owned and operated by the Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum. It opened on May 14, 2005, with the daughter of celebrated baseball player Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
in attendance. The 22000 square feet (2,044 m²) museum is adjacent to the main gate of Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is a Major League Baseball ballpark located in Baltimore, Maryland. Home field of the Baltimore Orioles, it is the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s, and remains one of the most highly praised. The park was...
and has artifacts and interactive exhibits profiling Maryland’s sports history. Exhibits include such area teams as the Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
, Baltimore Colts
History of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
, University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
, Baltimore Elite Giants
Baltimore Elite Giants
The Baltimore Elite Giants were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues from to . The team was established by Thomas T. Wilson, in Nashville, Tennessee as the semi-pro Nashville Standard Giants on March 26, 1920. The team was renamed the Elite Giants in , and would move to...
, Baltimore Black Sox
Baltimore Black Sox
The Baltimore Black Sox were a professional Negro league baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.- Founding :The Black Sox started as an independent team in 1916 by George Rossiter and Charles Spedden...
, and the Baltimore Blast
Baltimore Blast
The name Baltimore Blast has been used by two different indoor soccer teams:*Baltimore Blast , the original team that played in the first Major Indoor Soccer League...
.
The museum is housed in the former Camden Station
Camden Station
Camden Station, now also referred to as Camden Yards, is a train station at the intersection of Howard and Camden Streets in Baltimore, Maryland, served by MARC commuter rail service and local Light Rail trains. It is adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards...
, originally constructed in 1857 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
(B&O) as its main passenger station in Baltimore. After being vacant since the 1980s, the depot's exterior was restored in the 1990s as part of the development of the Camden Yards Sports Complex
Camden Yards Sports Complex
The Camden Yards Sports Complex is located in Baltimore, Maryland. The complex is composed of Oriole Park at Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium, which are the stadiums for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball and the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League, respectively...
. Later interior renovations and remodeling were made to accommodate the building's adaptive reuse as a sports museum. Geppi's Entertainment Museum
Geppi's Entertainment Museum
Geppi's Entertainment Museum is a privately owned pop culture museum located in Baltimore, Maryland. The museum chronicles the history of pop culture in America from the 17th century to today as made popular in newspapers, magazines, comic books, movies, television, radio and video games...
, which opened in September 2006, is located on the upper level of the building, directly above Sports Legends at Camden Yards. The nearby Babe Ruth Birthplace & Museum remains in existence as a separate museum on Emory Street, two and a half blocks from Camden Station.
A replica of the Vince Lombardi Trophy
Vince Lombardi Trophy
The Vince Lombardi Trophy is the trophy awarded each year to the winning team of the National Football League's championship game, the Super Bowl.-History:...
from Super Bowl V
Super Bowl V
Super Bowl V was an American football game played on January 17, 1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1970 regular season...
is located inside the museum. The original trophy from the Colts' 1971 trophy was taken by former owner Carroll Rosenbloom
Carroll Rosenbloom
Carroll Rosenbloom was an American entrepreneur and former owner of two professional football teams, the Baltimore Colts and the Los Angeles Rams....
when he traded the Colts for the Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
shortly afterwards in a shrewd deal. A replica trophy was later made for the Colts, but in the Midnight Move of 1984, the team was not allowed to keep the trophy. That trophy stayed in the city of Baltimore's possession, and was placed in the Sports Legends museum.