Sports Journey - NCAA Hall of Champions

Among the many attractions visitors to downtown Indianapolis will find in the White River State Park is the NCAA Hall of Champions. This interactive museum is part of a three-building complex that was built as part of the NCAA’s headquarters when they moved from Kansas City to Indiana’s capital. Also located in this complex is a conference center and the NCAA and NFHS (National Federation of High Schools) corporate headquarters.

As fans enter the Hall of Champions, they are greeted with a statue of several football players in the “flying wedge” formation, a football play so effective and dangerous that it threatened the very existence of the sport itself. This threat from President Roosevelt to outlaw football forced several college leaders to get together and draft rules changes to continue the sport. This is considered the birth of the NCAA.

The first floor contains individual exhibits for each NCAA-sponsored sport, complete with artifacts, current team rankings, a listing of past champions and video highlights. Championship banners honoring every current champion in every NCAA sport in every division hang from the ceiling. In a small theater, the latest version of the “One Shining Moment” video from the NCAA basketball tournament plays on a continuous loop.

The second floor contains several interactive exhibits, including a 1930s-era basketball gymnasium, a ski simulator, trivia games and more hands-on activities for kids of all ages. These games are not the most interactive nor the most technologically advanced you’ll see, but shooting some hoops in the old gym is absolutely the highlight of the floor.

The museum takes approximately 90 minutes to tour completely. Admission to the Hall of Champions costs $7.50 for adults, with seniors receiving a dollar discount and youth admitted for $5.00. Children under 5 and active members of the military are admitted at no charge. The museum is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 am – 5 pm. It is closed on Mondays and some holidays. Parking for the museum is available in the White River State Park underground garage.

Check out the NCAA Hall of Champions website for more information