In conjunction with Delco Arts Week, the Sports Legends of Delaware County Museum will be open for self guided tours, Monday September 23, 2024 through Friday September 27, 2024, 9am to 3pm.

The museum is located in the rear of the Radnor Township Municipal Building located at 301 Iven Avenue, Wayne, PA 19087. Entrance is directly behind the Emlen Tunnell statue.

For more information contact Jim Vankoski 619-909-4919

About The Sports Legends of Delaware County Museum

The Sports Legends of Delaware County Museum salutes the artists who commemorate the accomplishments of Delco’s greatest athletes. Behind every amazing sculpture, painting, drawing, and photograph at the museum is an artist who was inspired to capture an extraordinary moment in sports and immortalize it for future generations. Each artist portrays human achievement, and each piece furthers the museum’s mission: to acknowledge excellence and preserve the heritage of our local sports history.

Planning a visit to the museum during Delco Arts Week? Below is a quick tour of the world-class artwork that awaits you:

At the entrance to the museum at the Radnor Township Municipal Building, located at 301 Iven Avenue in Wayne, is Jennifer Frudakis Petry’s larger-than-life bronze sculpture of Radnor High School graduate Emlen Tunnell, a World War II hero and the first African-American enshrined in the Football Hall of Fame

Upon entering the building, visitors encounter a large showcase dedicated to Delco baseball great Mickey Vernon. The showcase contains a one-of-a-kind bust signed by the late sculptor Ray Daub, whose work depicts Mickey wearing a Washington Senators cap.

After turning the corner toward another showcase, visitors come upon a twelve-inch bronze statue of Harry Kalas, sportscaster of the Philadelphia Phillies from 1971 until he passed away in 2009. The statue was created by sculptor Lawrence Nowlan and belongs to the Shane Victorino collection. Above the statue is a realistic pastel painting of Shibe Park, later known as Connie Mack Stadium, painted by Chadds Ford artist Bill Sweeney.

The Mickey Vernon/Danny Murtaugh Gallery includes a pastel pencil-on-paper portrait by local artist Jim Corcoran of baseball Hall-of-Famer Hack Wilson. Nearby, a bas-relief bronze plaque by world-renowned sculptor Zenos Frudakis features Danny Murtaugh, baseball’s three-time manager of the year. Rounding out the baseball gallery is an oil-on-linen portrait by artist Graig Kreindler, who has earned his moniker of Artist of our National Pastime. The portrait depicts Mickey Vernon during his rookie season in 1939.
Next, visitors enter the Wide World of Women’s Sports Gallery.

It’s said that people spend an average of between fifteen and thirty seconds looking at a work of art at a museum, but anyone studying this 1992 photo by Jerry Lodriguss spends minutes admiring Mary Ellen Clark’s bronze-medal-winning dive. A short stop away is another work by Jimmy Corcoran: a charcoal-pencil-on-paper portrait of Olympic track-and-field athlete Dawn Burrell. Anchoring the showcase are two works dedicated to Fredia Gibbs, Delco’s greatest living athlete. The first, a  reduction statue of Fredia, was created by Jennifer Frudakis Petry. High above the statue is the second piece: a four-by-four painting of Fredia, who was a world-champion kickboxer, with Jack Johnson, a world-champion boxer. This work was mailed to the museum by Los Angeles artist Mohammed Mubarak.

After finishing their tour of the first floor, visitors can take an elevator to the second-floor scenic overlook, which provides a glorious view of the atrium’s seven larger-than-life portraits by Radnor artist George Rothacker of Hall-of-Fame athletes Leroy Burrell, Janie Barkman Brown, Mickey Vernon, Emlen Tunnell, Paul Arizin, Brendan Hansen, and Lisa Raymond.

From such an impressive vantage point, visitors who turn right will find an oil portrait of 1912 Olympic gold medal winner Ted Meredith and the Olympic Gallery named in his honor. At the end of the hall, model builder John Bullock has constructed a model of the United States Coast Guard Cutter Emlen Tunnell, taking a left turn, is yet another charcoal-pencil-on-paper portrait—this one of Emlen Tunnell by resident artist Jim Corcoran.

A final gallery showcases Delaware County’s contribution to the boxing world and features “Gloves,” an oil pastel on wood by Jessica Barber. Last but not least, visitors are treated to two recent sculptures by Jennifer Frudakis Petry one of Delco football great Billy “White Shoes” Johnson doing his famous “Funky Chicken” dance and the second of Gertrude “Gertie” Dunn From the Baseball Movie “A League of their Own”.

After viewing these works, we hope visitors will give a heartfelt thanks to the artists that have immortalized the inspiring deeds of Delco’s sports legends. Indeed, thanks to the passion and dedication of these artists, we’ve all scored a touchdown and should be dancing in the end zone, just like Billy. For more information, contact Jim Vankoski at (610) 909-4919 or vankoski21@comcast.net, or visit the museum online at www.delcosportsmuseum.org.