Penn State All-Sports Museum Celebrating 10-Year Anniversary This Weekend

Decades of ‘Success with Honor’ are on display in the Penn State All-Sports Museum, celebrating the feats of Penn State’s finest athletes.

This weekend, the museum will open its doors to celebrate its own decade of success and commitment to the Penn State family. 

To celebrate its 10-year anniversary, the Penn State All-Sports Museum will host events all weekend, starting on Friday, when donors will be treated to a special viewing of the exhibits, Ken Hickman, museum director, said. 

From 6:30-9 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, an open house will feature guided tours, activities for children and families, and the theatre will play selected films. A iPad winner will be drawn and selected on Saturday, Hickman said, and Sunday will have its own giveaways and food for visitors. 

Sports museums are unique, Hickman says, because the program is constantly evolving, and there is is always another story to tell, whether that be a new record set or a coaching change.

Some new features will be on display this weekend, Hickman said. One is the new touch-screen computer systems. Though they are still in the very early stages right now, visitors will soon be able call up any schedule, from any sport, and any player, from any team, at any time. Almost all the athletes will have photographs with their statistics, too, Hickman said, noting that it starts to get challenging around the 1930’s era. 

The Penn State All-Sports Museum has dramatically expanded since 2008, Hickman said. That can be attributed to a more formal set of programs, such as guided tours for groups and special events, like the Halloween trick-or-treat night for children. Players are on hand to sign autographs and hand out candy. Since its inception, it has been an overwhelming success.

‘I was hoping just to get at least 200 people the first year,’ Hickman said. ‘We had about 950.’

In Oct. 2011, more than 1,200 people waited in a line that stretched down to the bus stop and they museum extended the trick-or-treating hours to accommodate.

Hickman said the museum has remained a positive force for Penn State’s athletic history, a ‘keeper of the flame.’ Although the museum technically turned 10-years-old in February, Blue-White Weekend offered the best opportunity for as many people as possible to join the celebration. 

‘Blue-White is a celebratory weekend of who we are. We’re looking forward to reliving the best memories, and sharing some, as well.’

More information about the Penn State All-Sports Museum can be found here.