Exhibits
At the Penn State All-Sports Museum, you'll encounter the athletic history and heritage of one of the greatest universities in the nation. The Museum is an interactive, two-level, 10,000 sq. ft. testament to the world-class success and tradition of Penn State student-athletes - both on the field and in the classroom.
As you explore the Penn State All-Sports Museum you'll encounter the inspirational stories of men's and women's sports achievements through dramatic floor-to-ceiling visuals, rare archival images, and athletic equipment any aficionado would appreciate. You'll see the gleam of Penn State men's and women's trophies, including college football's fabled Heisman Trophy won by John Cappelletti in 1973, not to mention countless other awards won by student-athletes during the past century.
Special Exhibit: I Am a Penn Stater: Nittany Lions in World War II
Timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of World War II, I Am a Penn Stater chronicles the contributions of Nittany Lion varsity lettermen and Women’s Recreation Association athletes during the conflict and follows their service from training in the United States, to fighting on battlefields around the globe, to postwar occupation duties. Utilizing photographs, letters, diaries, and artifacts, I Am a Penn Stater offers visitors a firsthand understanding of the service provided by more than 1,200 former Nittany Lions who entered the military and American Red Cross – including 27 who made the supreme sacrifice, among them Navy Cross recipient W. Garfield Thomas, killed in action while commanding a turret aboard the USS Boise, and boxer and Tuskegee Airman James W. Wright, lost in 1944 when his transport crashed off the South Carolina coast.
Since its opening in June 2022, I Am a Penn Stater has introduced museum visitors to a multitude of extraordinary stories including those of State College native Emma Jane Foster, a civilian nurse with the Flying Tigers in China, and wrestler Frank A. Gleason, who served with the Office of Strategic Services and was later portrayed by Pennsylvania-born actor and WWII veteran Jimmy Stewart in a cinematic adaption of his adventures.
I Am a Penn Stater was recently recognized with the Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations' 2023 Institutional Award of Merit - one of only eight exhibits statewide so honored this year. This is the All-Sports Museum’s second Award of Merit; they were first recognized in 2019 for their special exhibit Field to Front: Nittany Lions at War, 1917-1919.
The exhibit is located in the Museum’s second-floor special exhibition gallery and will run through June 1, 2025.
The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and on Sunday noon-4 p.m.
Admission is by suggested donation of $8 for adults and $5 for children, seniors, and students
Please call 814-865-0044 for more details.