UC Hall of Fame

I was in the UC training room in the bowels of the Lindner Center the other day workin on a story about Mike Williams’ rehab from his Achilles injury. I had toured the facility before it actually opened, but had never seen it in full use. On this day, it was brimming with activity and it was just kind of cool to see athletes taking care of the state-of-the-art facilities, including the hydro-therapy room where Williams was working out. Having covered UC for a long time, it’s easy to get jaded occasionally over the some of the things that have gone wrong, but every time I walk through the Lindner Center I’m impressed. And it’s not just me. Some of the most hard-bitten, cynical scribes that I know, when they see that building, have nothing but praise for it.

I still think there’s one thing missing though: a true UC Hall of Fame. When the building was under construction, I was told that there would be a Hall of Fame. Yes, there is a mural display of UC’s Athletic Hall of Fame in the lobby. And I know there's a wall with plaques of all those who have been voted into UC's Hall. But that’s not the same as having a room where there are actually artifacts and displays commemorating UC’s history, similar to what the Reds have with their Hall of Fame. It would be nice to walk into a room and see Oscar Robertson’s jersey or Sandy Koufax’s glove, a display celebrating the national championship teams of the early 1960s. I don’t know how much of that stuff UC has lying around, but I would think that if the athletic department sent out a request for such memorabilia, they would be flooded with artifacts from their fans and former athletes.