By Joey Seymour
SAN DIEGO–It’s been six months since the passing of Robert Breitbard, founder of the San Diego Hall of Champions. Today, as you tour the museum he worked so hard to create, there is nothing more than outdated exhibits, empty walls, and a solitary bass fish.
The operators of the expansive complex are focused more on the events they book, as opposed to telling the stories of San Diego’s sports teams and athletes, when in fact; it should be the other way around. The exhibits should not be mere compliments to the luncheons and functions that take place at the Hall of Champions; they should be the main attractions, especially for San Diego which has such a rich history of diverse athletes and teams.
It takes about fifteen minutes to walk around and view the exhibits, thus charging an $8 admission fee almost seems criminal. Before entering the building, there is a unique statue that pays homage to Michael Jordan. One asks, “Why would the San Diego Hall of Champions have a statue of Michael Jordan? What did he have to do with San Diego?”
The answer is nothing, unless you count his business dealings with Richard Esquinas, former general manager of the San Diego Sports arena whom Jordan lost a $1.2 million bet during a September 1991 golf match between the two men.
After paying the ridiculous entrance fee, you take a walk down stairs where you will notice a fish tank with one lonely bass. This area is dedicated to bass fisherman from San Diego. Thrilling. It is tucked away in the far corner. Two years ago the bass had a few friends. Today he is the lone survivor. There is also a wall and a display case dedicated to Florence Chadwick, the great swimmer. She is one of only a few athletes that the museum singles out, despite the lengthy list of incredible athletes that have come from or participated in San Diego sports. Last, you will see the display cases honoring a senior citizens softball team. Why? Who can say? You will have completed the lower level in three minutes.
In the main hall, the curators have pushed all the display cases and exhibits as far against the wall as possible, ensuring maximum space for their events. In some cases, the walls are simply bare. The display cases are of cheap quality and can easily be damaged, thus disrespecting the articles inside. Bill Walton (NBA), Archie Moore (Boxing), and Billy Casper (Golf) are the only athletes singled out in the main hall.
Besides Walton’s San Diego Clippers jersey, there are no articles or presentations showcasing the ABA San Diego Conquistadors/Sails (1972 – 1975) or the NBA’s San Diego Rockets (1967 – 1971) and San Diego Clippers (1978 – 1984), the cities three professional basketball teams. The minor league hockey, San Diego Gulls are noted, but the two NBA teams that once performed here are erased.
As for boxing and golf, which are only mentioned in the small display cases honoring Moore and Casper, there is no reference to pugilist Charlie Powell (a San Diego native whereas Moore was born in St. Louis) or to golf superstar, Phil Mickelson. Much of the wall space is dedicated to BMX and skateboarding.
There is no longer the exhibit on George Marston who, among many other philanthropic accomplishments, founded San Diego’s YMCA and served as its president for 22 years. History has been replaced by modern sports that are minority in popularity at best. There is no representation for the San Diego Rowing Club (one of the oldest rowing clubs on the west coast), ZLAC Rowing Club (America’s Oldest Women’s Rowing Club), the San Diego Yacht Club, any of the city’s professional soccer teams, or the various golf and tennis tournaments San Diego holds or has held.
No longer are San Diego’s Heisman trophy winners honored in the museum, with the exception of Reggie Bush, who recently was forced to return his award. Also missing from the Hall of Champions is the link between the military and sports. Many San Diego athletes, including Ted Williams, served our country and then returned home to compete in professional sports.
There is certainly enough space to return these exhibits and/or to create new ones to entice people to come back to museum by showcasing a more in-depth look at San Diego’s sports past. Frankly, once you’ve seen the present exhibit, there is no reason to go back.
The highlights of the main hall are the Chargers and Padres exhibits which were funded by the owners of the respective teams, thus the professional look and feel to them and attention to detail. Yet, even amongst the cornerstone exhibits of the museum, you are unable to utilize the interactive computers because they’ve been turned off. After about ten minutes, you will have completed the main hall.
You will end your visit to the Hall of Champions by viewing the plaques on the third floor, honoring those who have been inducted into the Breitbard Hall of Fame. Notice the latest inductee, arguably the greatest men’s driver to have lived, Greg Louganis. It only took twenty years to finally induct him. The two minutes spent looking at the plaques will complete your fifteen minute tour of San Diego Hall of Champions. Don’t bother asking for your $8 back, you won’t get it.
I believe what irks me the most, is that the museum has so much potential. The archives, which for some unknown reason have been closed off to the public and the warehouse, which houses many more treasures, are not being used to create what should be the greatest sports museum dedicated to one city. Since the departure of former curator and historian, Todd Tobias, the Hall of Champions, as a museum, has taken a back seat to the main agenda of the front office staff; banquets, dances, and press events.
Finally, while school buses are lined up outside the San Diego Air and Space museum and the Ruben H. Fleet Science Center, the Hall of Champions is void of an on-site education program. They do not even feature docents to answer questions for museum patrons. With the passing of Breitbard last May, who knows what direction the museum will take? As of right now it is in a very sad state.
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Seymour is a sports historian and author of San Diego’s Finest Athletes: Five Exceptional Lives now Available through Sunbelt Publications at www.sunbeltbooks.com. He may be contacted at joeyseymour1@aol.com
I have lived in Missouri for several years now after forty plus years in San Diego. It has been a few years since I last visited the hall on a return visit to my hometown.
I will be there this summer and plan to visit the museum again. I will be disappointed if it doesn’t live up to my memories.
I must say that if you only spent two minutes looking at the plaques honoring those elected to the Hall, you missed what I always consider the highlight of the visit. I am a huge sports fan and I have been to the baseball museum and Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. I consider that the ultimate sports museum, a world class museum by any standard. But, I think the artwork on the plaques in the Breitbard Hall of Champions is superior to the artwork on the Baseball Hall of Fame’s plaques. I’m not saying the museum or the honor matches Cooperstown but the plaque gallery is a San Diego sports fan treasure worthy of the admission charge, and certainly more than two minutes of a sports fans time.