Friday, June 30, 2017

Horseheads, New York: Chemung County Sports Hall of Fame

Sometimes you get a history lesson when you least expect.

Such as, when you visit a mall.

Tucked among the usual stores at the Arnot Mall in Horseheads, New York, is the Chemung County Sports Hall of Fame. It's a nice little tribute to the athletes, coaches and contributors to sports in that part of the world.

The most space, naturally, goes toward the memory of Ernie Davis. The standout athlete was the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy (Syracuse, 1961). He signed with the Cleveland Browns after college, but came down with leukemia and never played a regular-season down with the team. Davis died a relatively short time after finishing at Syracuse. You may have seen the movie about his life a few years ago.

The local high schools all have a display as well, and the long list of inductees is here too. Apparently there was an Elmira Sports Hall of Fame that passed away around 1985, and this was the replacement. It takes a few minutes for a look around the room.

I lived in Elmira for a few years in the late 1960s, and saw some familiar names during a short visit here. It's nice to see those people remembered.

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