BLOOMINGTON — Indiana University athletes have brought home conference and national championships in a wide range of sports. The university is honoring them all by unveiling their old gear from the archives.
The Outfitting IU Athletics exhibition will open Friday night within the University Collections at McCalla. The collection aims to highlight every IU championship sport, not just the well-known champions in basketball or football.
"We have 25 team championships and well over 100 individual champions," said Jeremy Hackerd, who spent a year curating the collection for the university. "The soccer stuff is probably what means the most to me. We have the kits that were worn in 1998 and 1999. The 1998 team won a championship, so that's why the 1999 jersey has one more star on it."
Items on display include Steve Alford's basketball shoes from the 1987 championship season, Kyle Schwarber's bat from the 2013 College World Series, and Lilly King's swim cap from the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she won two gold medals.
University Collections at McCalla director Brian Woodman said his favorite item is an underwater camera used by legendary IU swim coach Doc Councilman.
"It's my favorite because of both my childrens' swimming background and my background in film," Woodman said. "I also hope people can open their minds and think about sports they don't normally think about."
The Outfitting IU Athletics exhibition will remain on display through October 2026. Hackerd said he would add more mementos if any Hoosiers win titles while the exhibition is active.
"We have a little bit of room here for the football team if they get a championship," Hackerd said. "We can put something new in, which should be pretty exciting."
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Taj Simmons the In Your Community reporter for Monroe and Morgan counties. He joined WRTV in August of 2023. The Oakland, CA native is not a Hoosier by birth, but is excited to learn all about the area and tell the stories of the people who make this state feel like home. Share your story ideas and important issues with Taj by emailing him at taj.simmons@wrtv.com.
