Texas high school unveils ultimate hall of honor

April 6, 2016 / Athletic AdministrationCoaching
Bishop Lynch High School (Texas) completed its new hall of honor last year. | Photo via Twitter, @blathletics
Bishop Lynch High School (Texas) completed its new hall of honor last year. | Photo via Twitter, @blathletics

Bishop Lynch High School (Texas) unveiled its new hall of honor this week, something it’s referring to as an “elite” version of an athletics hall of fame.

We’ve toured some impressive halls of fame, but this has to be one of the most extreme. According to a press release from Bishop Lynch, it took 20 months to build “The Way” — the school’s name for its hall that honors more than 50 years of athletics. The project began in January 2014 and took 20 months to complete.

Here is a look at what was involved with each of the project’s three phases.

  • Phase one: The Sports Honor Roll display, including the Friar and fight song in the competition gymnasium.
  • Phase two: A two-story trophy display and full-length action murals on the south wall. Former Bishop Lynch athletes are included in the murals.
  • Phase three: A “sports board” on the north wall.

“I really can’t put into words the feeling of being honored by Bishop Lynch this way,” former athlete Stephen Howard said in the press release. “It was even more special for me as my parents were with me when I saw the wall for the first time. This is without a doubt the most special recognition that I have ever received and I am humbled every time I see it.”

“I think the whole concept is very unique and a great idea,” former athlete Matt Weibring said in the release. “It lets kids that are in school now and in the future get a sense of the BL sports tradition.  It also allows young athletes to see some people that were in the exact same shoes they are in now and that they were able to have success after BL. Hopefully it gives the kids hope that they can dream big and those dreams are attainable.”

We’ve written before about creating a hall of fame for your school, and for athletic departments that don’t have a way to honor past and present student-athletes, it’s certainly something to consider. It improves school spirit, and many athletic directors say it helps increase the participation rate. Athletes want to be part of something special and everlasting.

Not all schools can fund a hall of fame like the one at Bishop Lynch, but it’s a great example of using creativity when honoring your athletes, teams and championships. It starts by thinking beyond the typical display case.

See more photos of Bishop Lynch’s hall below (via @blathletics). To read the complete news release from the school, click here.

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