Sports & Leisure

Tennis Racket

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.

Quartermaster Drag Racing Team, Legends Award presented to Leonard W. Miller

Quartermaster Drag Racing Team, Legends Award presented to Leonard W. Miller in 1999 for his contribution to drag racing.
Description (Brief)
Quartermaster Drag Racing Team, Legends Award presented to Leonard W. Miller in 1999 for his contribution to drag racing. QDRT with its hundreds of members, recognized Miller's African American racing efforts in the golden era of drag racing in the 1960s through the early 1970s.
Miller Brothers Racing was founded by Miller, his brother, Dexter, and driver Kenny Wright. Wright piloted Miller Bros. 1955 Chevrolet station wagon to numerous wins, including the New jersey State Championship on August 19, 1970. Wright became an integral member of Miller's Black American Racers, Inc. (BAR) as a mechanic competing in professional road racing across North America. QDRT identified Miller as an African American legend, advancing from drag racing to team principal of a Formula 5000 Grand Prix auto racing team on the world stage under the BAR banner in less than a decade.
In 1969, Len Miller and his brother Dexter for Miller Racing to race hot rods on the drag racing circuit in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the Northeast. With success on the racetrack he formed Vanguard Racing in 1972 and was the first African American to enter a car in the Indianapolis 500. He then went on to found the Black American Racers Association in 1973. The goal of the organization was to “unify African-American drivers in all types of racing – stock car, open wheel, and drag racing -- pave the way for greater success and introduce race fans to African-American’s history in motorsports.”
Later that same year the Black American Racers, Inc. (BAR) was formed with Benny Scott as their second generation African-American driver. Also in 1973, BAR became the first team to have an African American driver compete in England. In 1975, BAR driver Benny Scott would break the color barrier at the Long Beach Grand Prix, when the team entered a Formula 5000 car in the inaugural race. Len and Benny Scott were inducted into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame for their achievements in motorsports in 1976. In 1978, BAR experienced a setback when their driver Tommy Thompson was killed in an accident at the Trenton Speedway. Many of the team members took a break after this tragedy and in the 1980s the team turned toward stock car racing.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1999
user
Miller, Leonard W.
ID Number
2016.0359.22
accession number
2016.0359
catalog number
2016.0359.22

Neck gator worn by Indy car driver John Mahler during the 1979-1980 season

Nomex neck gator worn by Indy car driver John Mahler during the 1979-1980 season. The nomex neck gator is white and covers the neck area in between the driver's helmet and his suit. Mahler was a driver for Leonard W. Miller's Vanguard Racing, Inc.
Description (Brief)
Nomex neck gator worn by Indy car driver John Mahler during the 1979-1980 season. The nomex neck gator is white and covers the neck area in between the driver's helmet and his suit. Mahler was a driver for Leonard W. Miller's Vanguard Racing, Inc. in 1972 and a team mate to Vanguard's African American driver, Benny Scott. Mahler, a white driver, competed in the 1972 Indianapolis 500 as the driver for Vanguard Inc. making Vanguard the first African American owned team to enter a car in the Indianapolis 500. Vanguard Racing Inc. would reorganize as Black American Racers Inc., an African American auto racing team founded in 1973 by Leonard W. Miller, Wendell Scott, Ron Hines and Malcolm Durham, who were members of the Black American Racers Association (BARA). The goal of BARA was to organize African-American drivers, mechanics, engineers, crew members and owners in stock car, open wheel and drag racing, and pave the way for greater success for African Americans in motor sports.
Location
Currently not on view
user
Mahler, John
ID Number
2016.0353.05
accession number
2016.0353
catalog number
2016.0353.05

Leonard W. Miller's license plate from his 1940 Ford Club Coupe Convertible hot rod, 1953

Leonard W. Miller's license plate from his 1940 Ford Club Coupe Convertible hot rod which he owned at West Chester State Teacher's College in 1953.
Description (Brief)
Leonard W. Miller's license plate from his 1940 Ford Club Coupe Convertible hot rod which he owned at West Chester State Teacher's College in 1953. The hot rod was the genesis of his interest in fielding a professional African American auto racing team.
In 1969, Len Miller and his brother Dexter for Miller Racing to race hot rods on the drag racing circuit in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the Northeast. With success on the racetrack he formed Vanguard Racing in 1972 and was the first African American to enter a car in the Indianapolis 500. He then went on to found the Black American Racers Association in 1973. The goal of the organization was to “unify African-American drivers in all types of racing – stock car, open wheel, and drag racing -- pave the way for greater success and introduce race fans to African-American’s history in motorsports.”
Later that same year the Black American Racers, Inc. (BAR) was formed with Benny Scott as their second generation African-American driver. Also in 1973, BAR became the first team to have an African American driver compete in England. In 1975, BAR driver Benny Scott would break the color barrier at the Long Beach Grand Prix, when the team entered a Formula 5000 car in the inaugural race. Len and Benny Scott were inducted into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame for their achievements in motorsports in 1976. In 1978, BAR experienced a setback when their driver Tommy Thompson was killed in an accident at the Trenton Speedway. Many of the team members took a break after this tragedy and in the 1980s the team turned toward stock car racing.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1953
user
Miller, Leonard W.
ID Number
2016.3189.29
nonaccession number
2016.3189
catalog number
2016.3189.29

Trophy for Athlete of the Month awarded to Andy Granatelli for setting a land speed record at Daytona Beach in February of 1961

Trophy for Athlete of the Month awarded to Andy Granatelli for setting a land speed record at Daytona Beach in February of 1961.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Trophy for Athlete of the Month awarded to Andy Granatelli for setting a land speed record at Daytona Beach in February of 1961.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1961
ID Number
2017.0092.09
accession number
2017.0092
catalog number
2017.0092.09

USA vs. USSR - men's basketball

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1973
photographer
Regan, Ken
ID Number
2014.0112.029
catalog number
2014.0112.029
accession number
2014.0112

Rosi Mittermaier

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
photographer
Regan, Ken
ID Number
2014.0112.212
catalog number
2014.0112.212
accession number
2014.0112

Rosi Mittermaier

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
photographer
Regan, Ken
ID Number
2014.0112.214
catalog number
2014.0112.214
accession number
2014.0112

Roone Arledge

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
photographer
Regan, Ken
ID Number
2014.0112.193
catalog number
2014.0112.193
accession number
2014.0112

Bag of golf tees used by Special Olympian Marty Sheets

Clear plastic bag of assorted golf tees used by Marty Sheets and is located in one of the pockets of the golf bag.Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports.
Description (Brief)
Clear plastic bag of assorted golf tees used by Marty Sheets and is located in one of the pockets of the golf bag.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
ID Number
2017.0134.01.21
accession number
2017.0134
catalog number
2017.0134.01.21

Color photograph flyer inserted into the USA Softball National Team Guide, 2004

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2004
user
BredenbeckCorp, Hanna
ID Number
2020.0016.05.3
accession number
2020.0016
catalog number
2020.0016.05.3

Cadillac brand skateboard wheel

This is a DaKine model Cadillac skateboard wheel which is red in color. "Cadillac Wheels [/] DaKine" is imprinted into the surface of the wheel which is 0.875 inches in diameter and 2 inches wide.
Description (Brief)
This is a DaKine model Cadillac skateboard wheel which is red in color. "Cadillac Wheels [/] DaKine" is imprinted into the surface of the wheel which is 0.875 inches in diameter and 2 inches wide. The diameter was reduced on this model to avoid having the wider wheel make contact with the underside of the skateboard deck as the rider made sharp turns. The wheel came in amber, red, blue and yellow. There is a metal bearing race cone in the center of the wheel. This would receive the loose ball bearings and a screw for securing the wheel to the truck, holding the bearings in, allowing the wheel to spin freely.
Frank Nasworthy’s introduction of the urethane wheel to skateboarding in the early 1970s, changed the face of the sport allowing riders a more fluid, smooth ride and innovators to create new and improved equipment designed specifically from the use of the urethane wheel on skateboards. Prior to Cadillac wheel’s introduction, skateboarding had dropped from popularity. The equipment did not allow for a safe, enjoyable ride. The wheels, made of steel, plastic, clay or a crushed walnut composite did not provide a smooth ride. One small rock or rise in the road and the board would stop, sending the rider flying. Nasworthy, a recreational skater discovered the urethane wheel, originally used for roller skating, at a friend’s father’s factory in Purcellville, Virginia. He saw the potential for skateboarding and returned to California with 1000 wheels he bought from his friend’s dad. Selling them to skate and surf shops in California, Nasworthy soon realized the business potential and began manufacturing the wheels under the name Cadillac. While skateboarding ebbed again in the late 70s, the wheels were here to stay.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1974
ID Number
2021.0116.06.1
accession number
2021.0116
catalog number
2021.0116.06.1

A.J. Foyt

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1986
photographer
Regan, Ken
ID Number
2014.0112.073
catalog number
2014.0112.073
accession number
2014.0112

Postcard for the Texas Rollergirls vs the Tuscon Saddletramps, 2005

Postcard for the Texas Rollergirls vs the Tucson Saddletramps is for a match on Saturday, December 3rd, 2005. Modern roller derby began in 2001 after four teams were formed and founded under the Bad Girls Good Women Productions (BGGW) name.
Description (Brief)
Postcard for the Texas Rollergirls vs the Tucson Saddletramps is for a match on Saturday, December 3rd, 2005. Modern roller derby began in 2001 after four teams were formed and founded under the Bad Girls Good Women Productions (BGGW) name. In 2002, the Texas Rollergirls were formed from 65 members of the first BGGW teams after a disagreement over management practices caused a permanent split. BGGW took the remaining 15 skaters and became the TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls forming a banked track league. The flat track derby uses a not-for-profit organizational model with skaters running the leagues and using their own money to buy rink time, produce tournaments, print programs and putting any money earned back into the organization.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2005
ID Number
2016.0189.06.1
accession number
2016.0189
catalog number
2016.0189.06.1

Boston Red Hat, worn by Ted Williams

Ted WilliamsTheodore "Ted" Williams (1918-2002) played left-field for the Boston Red Sox from 1939-1960.
Description
Ted Williams
Theodore "Ted" Williams (1918-2002) played left-field for the Boston Red Sox from 1939-1960. His career was interrupted by military service in the Second World War (1943-1945) and Korea (1952-1953.) At the end of his playing days, Williams managed the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers. (1969-1972.)
A native Californian, "Teddy Ballgame" left baseball as one of the sports all-time greatest hitters, finishing his career with a remarkable .344 career batting average. Williams remains the last player to hit for over .400 in a season, a feat he accomplished in 1941. The six time American League (AL) batting champion and four time RBI leader not only hit for average, but for power as well, leading the league in home runs four times. He twice achieved baseball's "triple crown," leading the league in all three major offensive categories (1942& 1947.)
Williams served as an aviator in the U.S. military, finding himself in active combat during the Korean War. In 1953 his plane was hit by enemy fire and forced to crash-land.
Williams was twice named the AL Most Valuable Player and was selected to 19 All-Star Games. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George H.W. Bush in 1991.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1950-1960
user
Williams, Ted
maker
Tim McAuliffe Incorporated
ID Number
2017.0084.01
accession number
2017.0084
catalog number
2017.0084.01

Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls"

Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication.
Description (Brief)
Proof page for the book "It's Not About Pretty - A Book About Radical Skater Girls" written by Cindy Whitehead and Ian Logan that includes author, photographer and editors notations before final publication. Whitehead began skateboarding at age 15 and had turned pro by the time she was 17, something girls were not doing in the mid-1970s. She became one of the only girls skating both pool and half pipe and is the only girl ever to be featured in a two page article with a photo spread in the center of a skateboarding magazine. Whitehead retired from skateboarding at 22 but still skates and has remained in the sports arena as a sport stylist, an occupation she created.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017
2016
ID Number
2017.0044.02.07
accession number
2017.0044
catalog number
2017.0044.02.07

Diana Nyad

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1978
photographer
Regan, Ken
ID Number
2014.0112.061
catalog number
2014.0112.061
accession number
2014.0112

Fat Tire Flyer

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
editor
Kelly, Charles
ID Number
2013.3053.05
catalog number
2013.3053.05
nonaccession number
2013.3053

Special Olympics medal won by Ricardo Thornton

Special Olympics medal won for third place in a track event by Ricardo Thornton at the USA National Games in Nebraska in 2010. Ricardo Thornton (b. 1959) lived for 20 years in an institution, placed there by his family in the early 1960s.
Description (Brief)
Special Olympics medal won for third place in a track event by Ricardo Thornton at the USA National Games in Nebraska in 2010. Ricardo Thornton (b. 1959) lived for 20 years in an institution, placed there by his family in the early 1960s. He learned to play sports and met his future wife, Donna, there. He and Donna, both wards of the District of Columbia, had to fight to get married in 1984. After they married, they left the institution, had a son, and now have grandchildren. Thornton has worked most of his adult life while continuing to compete in sports.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2010
ID Number
2017.0331.15.1
accession number
2017.0331
catalog number
2017.0331.15.1

Fat Tire Flyer, Four on the Floor

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
editor
Kelly, Charles
ID Number
2013.3053.02
catalog number
2013.3053.02
nonaccession number
2013.3053

Glove used by Brooks Robinson, Baltimore Orioles

Third baseman Brooks Robinson (b. 1937) was known as "The Human Vacuum Cleaner" for his outstanding ability to collect balls hit his way.
Description
Third baseman Brooks Robinson (b. 1937) was known as "The Human Vacuum Cleaner" for his outstanding ability to collect balls hit his way. Winning a record tying sixteen consecutive Gold Glove Awards as the best defenseman at his position, the native Arkansan played his entire Major League career with the Baltimore Orioles (1955-1977.)
An 18 time All-Star, Robinson won the American League Most Valuable Player award in 1964, a year he led the league with 118 runs batted in. The Orioles made four World Series appearances in Robinson's time with the team, winning two (1966 and 1970,) taking home World Series MVP honors in the latter.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1974
user
Robinson, Brooks
maker
Rawlings
ID Number
2017.0084.04
model number
XFLGH
accession number
2017.0084
catalog number
2017.0084.04

Pro model skateboard designed and used by professional skateboarder Nora Vasconcellos in June 2018

Pro model skateboard, produced by Welcome Skateboards and designed and used by professional skateboarder Nora Vasconcellos in June 2018 while touring through Portugal and Spain.
Description (Brief)
Pro model skateboard, produced by Welcome Skateboards and designed and used by professional skateboarder Nora Vasconcellos in June 2018 while touring through Portugal and Spain. Vasconcellos began skating at age 5 in her hometown of Pembroke, Massachusetts and by age 24 she had become a pro rider for Welcome Skateboards, designed her first pro model board, won a world championship and became a member on Adidas’s skateboarding team. Her unique style of skating sets her apart from other skaters and insiders say her backside air is among the best in the world. She is a role model for girls in the sport proving a women can be successful in the male dominated world of skate. She uses her art in Welcome Skateboards apparel line and it is included on this first pro model deck.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2018
user
Vasconcellos, Nora
ID Number
2018.0272.01
accession number
2018.0272
catalog number
2018.0272.01

411VM Skateboarding videotape, 2001

411VM Skateboarding videotape, 2001.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
411VM Skateboarding videotape, 2001.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2001
ID Number
2019.3079.13.1
nonaccession number
2019.3079
catalog number
2019.3079.13.1

Shirt used by Special Olympian Marty Sheets

Teal cotton, short sleeve t-shirt with purple lining in the sleeves and worn by Marty Sheets at the International Summer Special Olympic Games in 1991.
Description (Brief)
Teal cotton, short sleeve t-shirt with purple lining in the sleeves and worn by Marty Sheets at the International Summer Special Olympic Games in 1991. These World Games were held in Minneapolis Minnesota.
Marty Sheets was born with Downs Syndrome in 1953 but through Camp Joy, a camp for kids with intellectual disabilities, he found a love of sports. Invited to participate in the first International Special Olympic Games in Chicago in 1968, Marty formed a life long bond with founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Over the course of the next 40 years Sheets won over 250 medals while competing in golf, swimming, Alpine skiing, tennis and power lifting. His favorite sport was golf and In 2006, he was the PGA’s national volunteer of the year for his work at the Wyndham Championship in his hometown of Greensboro, N.C. He is also included in the portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver and other Special Olympians which now resides in the National Portrait Gallery collections.
From its beginnings as Camp Shriver in Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s backyard, to the first international games in 1968, Special Olympics has been about giving people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate in sport. This participation builds confidence, provides emotional support and offers social opportunities for the athletes and their families. With state chapters and a global presence through its World Games, “Special Olympics is the largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities with 5 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide.”
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2017.0134.07
accession number
2017.0134
catalog number
2017.0134.07

Set of skate wheels from the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center's Innoskate program, 2015

Set of four wheels from the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center's Innoskate 2015.Currently not on view
Description (Brief)
Set of four wheels from the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center's Innoskate 2015.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2019.3079.01
nonaccession number
2019.3079
catalog number
2019.3079.01

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