SPORTS

Sneak peak into Varsity Village museum

by John Bach

	Athletic and academic murals such as this will anchor the graphics inside the George and Helen Smith Athletics Museum within the new Richard E. Lindner Center.

Though University of Cincinnati athletics will take a major stride forward when it enters the Big East next year, its players, coaches and fans aren't likely to forget their program's roots.

Bearcats and those who support them won't overlook the past because UC's rich history, wealth of accomplishments and storied traditions will be impossible to miss in the four-story George and Helen Smith Athletics Museum in the atrium of the new Richard E. Lindner Center. Elements in particular that won't go unnoticed include a soaring glass trophy case suspended in mid-air and a 20-foot-tall video screen.

Athletics' new front-door facility, scheduled to open in December 2005, will become the hub of activity in the new Varsity Village. And all those using it -- coaches on their way to their offices, players headed off to study or rehab an injury and fans stopping in for tickets, souvenirs or a bit of relaxation in the lounge -- will pass through the combined athletics/academics museum space.

To appropriately convey the history of both athletics and academics, administrators hired renowned Chicago interior designer and alumna Eva Maddox, DAAP '66, principal at Perkins & Will.

"We want visitors to get wowed and really understand the Bearcat story and the history of athletics and academics at the university," Maddox says. "There is such a rich tradition here. This is fabulous. To get to dig into the file boxes, cabinets and back areas of the university has been thrilling. We have uncovered so many things that maybe have been told in another way. But I think making them very visual will be exciting and not just a fact on the wall."

For Maddox, this project is close to her heart for two reasons. First, she loves sports, particularly UC basketball. She started at UC in 1961, the season the Bearcats won their second consecutive national championship. Second, she's proud of her alma mater's academic accomplishments. Maddox's project team includes five additional UC graduates.
"We are a big fan of the co-op program," Maddox says. "The students come to the workplace with such knowledge and such savvy and skills. I think UC excels in every way possible."

NEXT PAGE | Floating trophies and a 25-foot video board

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