Sports & Leisure

The nation's passion for sports is obvious every day—at NASCAR races, kiddie soccer matches, and countless other contests. From a handball used by Abraham Lincoln to Chris Evert's tennis racket to a baseball signed by Jackie Robinson, the roughly 6.000 objects in the Museum's sports collections bear witness to the vital place of sports in the nation's history. Paper sports objects in the collections, such as souvenir programs and baseball cards, number in the hundreds of thousands.

Leisure collections encompass a different range of objects, including camping vehicles and gear, video games, playing cards, sportswear, exercise equipment, and Currier and Ives prints of fishing, hunting, and horseracing. Some 4,000 toys dating from the colonial period to the present are a special strength of the collections.

Oklahoma native Jim Thorpe (1888-1953) was awarded this trophy in 1914 for winning the 5 Mile Handicap Road Run held by the Bronxdale Athletic Club.Thorpe, of mixed European and Native American descent, is considered one of the greatest-overall athletes in United States history.
Description (Brief)
Oklahoma native Jim Thorpe (1888-1953) was awarded this trophy in 1914 for winning the 5 Mile Handicap Road Run held by the Bronxdale Athletic Club.
Thorpe, of mixed European and Native American descent, is considered one of the greatest-overall athletes in United States history. He was a star for the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, where he attained All-American honors in football. He went on to represent the United States at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, winning gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon. Thorpe went on to play professional football, baseball and basketball.
Thorpe's Olympic victories were revoked when it was discovered that he had made money playing semi-pro baseball, forfeiting his status as an amateur. The medals were reinstated to his family in 1983.
date made
1914
associated person
Thorpe, Jim
ID Number
1982.0575.01
accession number
1982.0575
catalog number
1982.0575.01
Baseball signed by the 1952 Brooklyn Dodgers.
Description (Brief)
Baseball signed by the 1952 Brooklyn Dodgers. That season the Dodgers finished 96-57, 1st in the National League, losing to the New York Yankees in the World Series 4 games to 3.
Autographs include Jackie Robinson; Carl Erskine; Billy Cox; Roy Campanella; Gil Hodges; Duke Snider; Pee Wee Reese; Carl Furillo; Andy Pafko; George Shuba; Bobby Morgan; Billy Loes; Ben Wade; Preacher Roe; Joe Black; Chris Van Cuyk; Johnny Rutherford; Clem Labine.
date made
1952
signer
Robinson, Jackie
associated institution
Brooklyn Dodgers
maker
A. J. Reach Co.
ID Number
CL.310547.154
accession number
310547
catalog number
310547.154
These boots were worn at Wrestlemania 24 (2008) by professional wrestler Ric "the Nature Boy" Flair during the presumed final match of his 36 year career.
Description (Brief)
These boots were worn at Wrestlemania 24 (2008) by professional wrestler Ric "the Nature Boy" Flair during the presumed final match of his 36 year career. Flair, born Richard Morgan Fliehr (1949,) began wrestling professionally in 1970 as part of the American Wrestling Association. He survived a broken back in 1975 to star in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA,) and later spent time as a top attraction for both the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW.) Flair finished his career with the industry powerhouse WWF, now known as the WWE, or World Wrestling Federation/ Entertainment, returning to the league in 2001. One of professional wrestling's most charismatic and talented performers, Flair played both hero and villain, and was awarded dozens of championship belts over the course of his career..
Location
Currently not on view
user
Fliehr, Richard M.
ID Number
2008.0072.03
accession number
2008.0072
catalog number
2008.0072.03
In his day, Bill Russell (born 1934) was considered the best defensive center in the history of the game, initiating strategies that remain key to championship basketball.
Description (Brief)
In his day, Bill Russell (born 1934) was considered the best defensive center in the history of the game, initiating strategies that remain key to championship basketball. A star college player, 1956 Olympic gold medalist, and famed defensive center for the Boston Celtics, he became the first African American head coach in the NBA, coaching first the Celtics and later the Seattle Supersonics. This Wilson game ball marked Russell's 10,000th rebound; he ultimately achieved 21, 620.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1962
associated institution
Boston Celtics
user
Russell, Bill
maker
Wilson Sporting Goods Company
ID Number
1979.0622.01
accession number
1979.0622
catalog number
1979.0622.01
Pittsburgh Steelers Helmet, worn by running back Franco Harris (b. 1950) in Super Bowl XIV., held in Pasadena, California on January 20, 1980. The Steelers won the game, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 31-19.
Description (Brief)
Pittsburgh Steelers Helmet, worn by running back Franco Harris (b. 1950) in Super Bowl XIV., held in Pasadena, California on January 20, 1980. The Steelers won the game, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 31-19. Harris ran for 46 yards and two touchdowns, and caught 3 passes for 66 yards.
Harris was a running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1972 to 1983, finishing his career with one season with the Seattle Seahawks in 1984. Finishing his career with 91 rushing touchdowns, he won four Super Bowls with Pittsburgh: IX; X; XIII and XIV. He is best remembered for his "Immaculate Reception," a controversial catch that gave the Steelers their first ever playoff win in 1972.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1979
user
Harris, Franco
associated institution
Pittsburgh Steelers
ID Number
1980.0131.06
accession number
1980.0131
catalog number
1980.0131.06
The Washington Redskins Marching Band was created after the National Football League team moved from Boston to Washington D.C. in 1938. Composed of an all-volunteer orchestra, the Redskins Band was a pioneer in half-time entertainment.
Description (Brief)
The Washington Redskins Marching Band was created after the National Football League team moved from Boston to Washington D.C. in 1938. Composed of an all-volunteer orchestra, the Redskins Band was a pioneer in half-time entertainment. 1938 also marked the introduction of the team's fight song "Hail to the Redskins."
Location
Currently not on view
associated institution
Washington Redskins
ID Number
1981.0768.20
catalog number
1981.0768.20
accession number
1981.0768
This ball was used in Super Bowl XIV, held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on January 20, 1980. In the game, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 31-19.
Description (Brief)
This ball was used in Super Bowl XIV, held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on January 20, 1980. In the game, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams 31-19. It was the Steelers' fourth Super Bowl win and the second straight year that Terry Bradshaw took home the Most Valuable Player trophy.
The Wilson Sporting Goods Company introduced the Wilson Duke football during the early 1940s. Wilson has provided the official ball for the National Football League's Super Bowl since Super Bowl II in 1968.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1979
user
Pittsburgh Steelers
maker
Wilson Sporting Goods Company
ID Number
1980.0131.05
accession number
1980.0131
catalog number
1980.0131.05

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.