Sports Gems Shine in Obscure Outpost

Looking for the first professional contract signed by Honus Wagner, legendary Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop and one of the first five players inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame?

How about a complete set of President Eisenhower’s golf clubs, each stamped with five stars signifying his World War II rank as general?

These and hundreds of other pieces of sports memorabilia can be found at Orange County’s best-kept sports secret: the Newport Sports Museum.

Tucked inside a single-floor office building where Newport Center Drive crosses Newport Center Drive East, the museum is open Monday through Saturday. Admission is free of charge.

The displays cover just about every sport, including the Olympic Games, and there’s a room dedicated to USC athletics. A game ball signed by the 1931 Trojan football team after its 16-14 victory over Notre Dame also notes that the Trojans were national champions that year.

Founder John W. Hamilton, a USC alumnus, said he “would love to have a UCLA room if they give us any stuff to display.” But he admits that looking for UCLA sports memorabilia is not at the top of his “to do” list.

The baseball collection is impressive, especially the displays from the late 1800s and early 1900s, most donated by the family of Chicago baseball writer Malcolm MacLean. MacLean, who covered the White Sox at the turn of the 20th century, also photographed many of the game’s early stars.

How MacLean obtained Wagner’s first professional contract with the Steubenville (Ohio) Base Ball Club remains a mystery. Wagner signed for the “season of 1895” with his full name, William J.H. Wagner. There was no signing bonus for the future baseball immortal, who played for $35 a month.

Wagner, who spent 21 seasons in the major leagues, signed the one-page document on Feb. 10, 1895. Remarkably, he agreed “to pay for my own uniform and shoes, the cost of same to be taken out of my first pay.” He also promised to “report in good condition as to play ball.”

Hamilton, a passionate collector of sports memorabilia, opened the museum in 1995. It has been at its present location for five years. Although little known in Orange County, the Newport Sports Museum has a list of about 100 athletes from every sport who regularly speak to youth groups at the museum, free of charge.

Among the world-class athletes associated with the museum are Brooks Robinson, former Baltimore Orioles third baseman; former USC and San Francisco 49ers star Ronnie Lott; and swimmer Janet Evans, an Olympic Gold medalist.

Hamilton, a developer of commercial and industrial properties, is adamant that no admission fee be charged. He puts some of his own money into the museum’s operation, but relies heavily on about two dozen corporate and individual sponsors for operating costs.

“I can’t see charging a kid to come in and look at a jersey worn by his or her hero. I don’t want any kid or parent not to enjoy our displays because they can’t afford to pay,” he said. “This museum isn’t for me. It’s for the kids. We had 4,000 who came by last year to meet with our athletes.”

Director Kellie Newcombe said the nonprofit museum operated on a $500,000 annual budget.

Hamilton said he became a collector in 1953, when he was 12 and living in what is now Villa Park. A family friend gave him a football signed by the Look Magazine All-American football team.

His collection, considered one of the largest owned by an individual, expanded through the years and was stored in boxes throughout his home. “I had to act when my wife got tired of seeing the stack of boxes around the house. Some of my athlete friends and I came up with the idea for a museum,” he said.

Just about every item on display has been donated and worn in competition, Newcombe said.

“We do a lot of begging, but it’s getting harder to get memorabilia for free from athletes and teams,” she said. “Sports memorabilia is a big business these days, and a lot of people probably think we’re a sports bar or something else looking to profit from their donation.”

The museum has a baseball autographed by the players on every club that has won the World Series from 1940 to 2002. Last year, the Florida Marlins ignored a request for a signed ball. The Boston Red Sox, winners of the 2004 Series, have yet to respond to a similar request.

Eisenhower’s clubs are one of the few items purchased by Hamilton. He bought them from Ike’s widow, Mamie, but declined to say how much he paid.

“I use my money to purchase some memorabilia, never funds provided to us by our sponsors,” he said.

On a recent afternoon, Newcombe gave a tour of the museum to a group of about 20 young boys and their fathers who were visiting for the first time. The kids were gawking at the gigantic basketball shoes donated by Shaquille O’Neal and Dikembe Mutombo.

“You could use any one of these shoes for a canoe,” one father told his son.

The kid, who kept looking at his sneakers and the shoes on display, was speechless.