Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center

The Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center is a museum on the campus of Montclair State University in Little Falls, New Jersey. It serves to honor the career of Yogi Berra, who played for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The museum, which contains artifacts from Berra's career, opened on December 4, 1998. It is adjacent to Yogi Berra Stadium.

History

Ron Guidry autographing a baseball at the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center on May 12, 2013

"The Friends of Yogi Inc.", a nonprofit organization, raised $2 million through donations to build the museum to honor Yogi Berra, who played his entire Major League Baseball career for the New York Yankees. John McMullen, the owner of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League, was among the museum's benefactors.^[1] The museum was built adjacent to Yogi Berra Stadium, which hosts the New Jersey Jackals, a Minor League Baseball team in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, and the Montclair State Red Hawks baseball team. The museum was dedicated in October 1998, with fellow Baseball Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Larry Doby in attendance.^[2] It opened to the public on December 4.^[3] In 2010, IKON 5 Architects redesigned the museum,^[4] and Brian Hanlon sculpted a statue of Berra to go in front of the museum.^[5]

Berra had feuded with Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner since his firing 16 games into the 1985 season. Berra refused to have any part of Yankees events, including Yankees games.^[6] In January 1999, Berra and Steinbrenner resolved their feud with a public event at the Yogi Berra Museum.^[7]

Berra frequently visits the museum for signings, discussions, and other events. It is his intention to teach children important values such as sportsmanship and dedication, both on and off the baseball diamond.^[8]

On October 8, 2014, a burglary occurred at the museum, in which a team of "professional" thieves stole specific pieces of Berra's memorabilia.^[9]

Exhibits

The museum contains items from Berra's career, including baseball cards, a jacket worn by Berra while throwing out the first pitch of Game 1 of the 2009 World Series, two of his MLB MVP awards, and all 10 World Series rings he received as a player.^[1][9] Following the resolution of Berra's feud with Steinbrenner, the Yankees loaned the Commissioner's Trophy from the 1998 World Series to the museum.^[10] The museum also offers educational programs for children focusing on sports medicine and the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs.^[11]

A wing of the museum is named for Doby, who lived in Montclair later in his life.^[12] The museum also contains other baseball artifacts, such as from the Yankees' World Series winning teams of the late 1990s. Following the revelations of Roger Clemens' steroid use in the Mitchell Report and his subsequent testimony to the United States Congress, the museum removed a uniform of Clemens' from the display.^[11]

In 2013, the museum teamed up with Athlete Ally to develop an exhibit called "Championing Respect", which aims to support the inclusion of LGBT athletes in sports.^[13] An exhibit in 2014 celebrated the 75th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's farewell speech.^[14]

References

External links

• "Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center". Montcialr State University.