CHICAGO, Ill. - The Chicago Sports Museum, which opened in April, now includes an exhibit highlighting Wittenberg University alumnus Fred Mitchell, class of '69, and the annual college football award named in his honor by the National Football Foundation.
Located on the seventh floor of Water Tower Place on Michigan Avenue, the $14 million Chicago Sports Museum includes game-worn jerseys, trophies, interactive game displays and other memorabilia of such former and current Chicago sports stars as Michael Jordan, Walter Payton, Mike Ditka, Richard Dent, Ernie Banks, Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg, Joakim Noah, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Kane, Brandon Marshall and many others.
Mitchell, who is celebrating his 40th year as a sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune, covered those legendary sports celebrities during his writing career as a beat reporter, columnist and author of 11 books.
“I am gratified and humbled to have a formal home for the Fred Mitchell Award, which recognizes the best place-kicker in the country among more than 750 colleges,” said Mitchell, who was inducted into Wittenberg's Athletic Hall of Honor in 1995 and the American Football Kicking Hall of Fame in 2013. He has served on the Wittenberg Alumni board, and continues to serve on the Wittenberg Board of Directors.
The glass-enclosed exhibit highlighting the Fred Mitchell Award includes Mitchell’s game-worn Wittenberg road jersey (No. 34), his old squared-toed kicking shoe, an acrylic plaque explaining the award and a replica of the 2013 Fred Mitchell Award trophy that was presented to former West Texas A&M kicker Sergio Castillo, who signed a contract with the Atlanta Falcons in June.
"I am proud to know that the Wittenberg name and story will continue to be recognized nationally through this exhibit as thousands of tourists visit this museum throughout the years," said Mitchell, who was one of the Tigers' last straight-on kickers while playing for legendary College Football Hall of Fame coach Bill Edwards. "What better place for this 8,000-square foot museum than on the prominent Magnificent Mile on Chicago's renowned Michigan Avenue."
Among the esteemed members of the Selection Committee for the annual award include former NFL kickers Paul Hornung, Kevin Butler, Bob Thomas and Michael Husted, as well as Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers and coach Marv Levy, who led the Buffalo Bills to four straight Super Bowls.
Chris Kearney is the chairman of the Chicago Chapter of the National Football Foundation and the head of the Fred Mitchell Award committee, and several other prominent businessmen and coaches are members of the committee. In addition to kicking performance, community service represents part of the criteria for choosing the award winner The winner is announced in December and the trophy presentation is made in February at Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Illinois, where the Chicago Bears train.
An informal luncheon to commemorate the new exhibit was held on June 30 at Harry Caray’s 7th Inning Stretch restaurant, which is adjacent to the museum.