History:
The Sports Museum, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, was formed as a corporation and founded in 1977 by two educators, Vic Caliri and Matt Sgan. They recognized that New England deserved a Sports Museum that would benefit inner-city and suburban youth, while providing them with role models and inspiration.
The concept of a sports museum has been thought of by every sports fan who ever lived in New England. Nowhere else in the country is the passion for sports so intense, the tradition as deep, or the shared experience as broad. As a Boston taxi driver once remarked, "A sports museum in Boston is like an art museum in Paris."
In 1987, The Sports Museum opened its doors and now resides on the 5th and 6th levels of the TD Banknorth Garden.
The Museum's education programs target school children in the New England area. These programs have reached and educated thousands of schools at every grade level.
The Sports Museum also houses one of the finest collections of film, video, photographs and research material in North America. Included in the collections are over one thousand hours of rare sports film and video footage, a comprehensive photo library of over two thousand titles covering a multitude of sports, files of primary source materials such as scrapbooks and diaries of prominent sports figures, artifacts such as uniforms, trophies, medals, equipment and much more.
The Museum also has life-size wooden sculptures by the world renowned artist Armand LaMontagne of five of the most prominent athletes in New England sports history: Harry Agganis, Ted Williams, Larry Bird, Bobby Orr and Carl Yastrzemski. These artifacts and memorabilia are enhanced by many interactive exhibits. The Museum also displays artifacts loaned from private collectors and museums, such as the Baseball and Basketball Hall of Fame. The Sports Museum was the first museum ever to bring an exhibition to the Baseball Hall of Fame when it presented "Boston Braves 1876- 1952" at Cooperstown in 1990.
The Museum has access to and utilizes many private libraries and collections for both archival and display purposes. Included in this network is the 6000 volume library of curator Richard Johnson, and collections of many prominent athletes.
The Museum has forged relationships with literally hundreds of collectors and with many public and private collections. These contacts have grown over the years and represent an extensive international network of relationships which have allowed The Museum to mount exciting exhibits and displays.
