In 2012, Barry Larkin was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and his uniform #11 was retired by the Reds. The Hall of Fame’s exhibit tribute was a year-long commemoration of his great career.
The exhibit included the display of a number of artifacts from Larkin’s career including multiple jerseys worn by Larkin. Among the most notable jerseys was the #15 jersey he wore during his first season.
Positioned in front of one of the exhibit’s murals was a display case of items specifically associated with Larkin’s induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
With his election in 2013, Larkin became the 10th player or manager inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame whose primary team was the Reds.
In addition to the 10 members of the Hall of Fame whose primary team was the Reds, 33 other Hall of Famers spent a portion of their careers wearing a Reds uniform.
A video monitor in the exhibit played highlights from interviews Larkin did on the day his election was announced as well as highlights from his induction speech.
The artifact display in the exhibit encompassed the entirety of Larkin’s career.
A look at the exhibit that includes the artifact display case, video monitor and entry graphic. The case in the center of the gallery housed a game-used jersey and game-used bat from his 1995 MVP season.
This exhibit paid tribute to the greatest team in Reds history: The Big Red Machine. The winningest team of the 1970s dominated the decade with four pennants and two World Series championships.
Three video screens hung from the ceiling rotated images of every player who appeared in a game for the Reds in the 1970s.
The 1975 and 1976 World Series trophies were moved from their permanent display locations in the museum for this exhibit. Johnny Bench’s 1972 MVP plaque and ring collection were also displayed.
The Big Red Machine’s pitching staff is often overlooked by the focus on the team’s great lineup, but the great pitchers from that era were highlighted in the exhibit.
A timeline documenting how the team was built and its dominance of the decade greeted visitors as they entered the exhibit.
Each of the display cases in the exhibit had a specific focus including cases dedicated to each of the four World Series the team played in during the decade.
One of the notable elements of the exhibit was the display of each of the championship banners created for the team in the decade. The exhibit marked the first time all of them were displayed at once.
The heart of the Big Red Machine was the Great Eight starting lineup from 1975 and 1976. This display included a game-used jersey, hat and bat from each member of the vaunted lineup.
Timed to coincide with the dedication of a statue in his honor at Great American Ball Park, the exhibit celebrated the career of the greatest catcher in baseball history.
Many of the artifacts in the exhibit were loaned to the museum from Bench’s personal collection.
A collection of three of the Gold Glove Awards Bench won during his career were on display in one of the exhibit’s display cases.
Bench visited the exhibit and placed his hands over the impression of his hands that were part of a bronze tribute that had been installed outside of Riverfront Stadium after Bench retired.
One wall of the exhibit was devoted to the many records and career highlights that marked Bench’s career.
Easily baseball’s most physically demanding position, the exhibit explored the evolution of protective equipment designed to make the job easier.
A centerpiece of the exhibit was the display of the first Reds jersey Bench ever wore. The #53 jersey was worn by Bench during his first spring training in 1966.
The Reds’ 2010 Division Championship season was a memorable one and the Hall of Fame’s exhibit chronicled the Reds’ exciting return to the postseason.
Game-used jerseys worn by each player who appeared in a game for the Reds in 2010 were featured in the exhibit including this collection assembled on the exhibit’s jersey wall.
The helmet rack from the Reds’ dugout was removed after the 2010 season. The fixture was installed in the exhibit along with a recreation of the dugout bat rack and included artifacts from the season.
A larger-than-life mural of Jay Bruce approaching home plate after hitting his division-clinching home run was a signature element of the exhibit.
Jay Bruce’s division-clinching home run is one of the most unforgettable in Reds history. Bruce loaned the home run ball and batting gloves from the at-bat to the museum for display in this exhibit.
The exhibit included a wide array of artifacts from the 2010 season and the exhibit’s primary display case housed items associated with the team’s most notable players.
Jerseys worn by Scott Rolen, Bronson Arroyo, Aroldis Chapman and Johnny Cueto were among the artifacts displayed from the 2010 season.
An overview of the exhibit with the Jay Bruce home run case in the foreground.
The 1990 Reds were the first team in Reds history and one of the few in Major League history to spend the entire season in first place. The exhibit celebrated the 20th anniversary of that season.
A graphic timeline charted the Reds’ season from Opening Day through the completion of the club’s sweep of Oakland in the World Series.
Mounted above the 1990 timeline was a recreation of the Riverfront Stadium scoreboard as it looked the moment before Joe Oliver won the second game of the World Series with a 10th-inning single.
The east wall of the exhibit was filled with framed, game-used jerseys worn by each player and coach from the 1990 Reds. Each of the jerseys was worn during the 1990 season.
Renowned baseball artist Bill Purdom created this mural depicting the unforgettable moments from that unforgettable season.
The center of the gallery space was occupied by a recreation of Riverfront Stadium that also served as the frame for the exhibit’s artifact cases.
Visitors examine the artifacts on display inside the exhibit’s recreation of Riverfront Stadium.
The 1990 World Series trophy was displayed along with artifacts from the playoffs and World Series including the last out ball from the Series and the glove Todd Benzinger used to catch it.
The museum brought the longtime home of the Reds to life in this exhibit that endeavored to capture a bit of the feel of what going to a game there was really like.
Crosley Field created innumerable memories and witnessed a great deal of history during its years of service including the first night game in Major League history in 1935.
The exhibit incorporated a wide array of artifacts from the many players, games and events that made the ballpark as colorful as it was memorable.
Visitors to the exhibit could enter the replica of Crosley’s manually operated scoreboard and set the lineup for the day.
Life-sized reproductions of images of Crosley Field’s concession stands greeted visitors at the entrance to the exhibit.
Display cases at the exhibit’s entrance exhibited period souvenirs and concession items that would have been purchased by fans attending games at Crosley Field.
A recreation of Crosley Field’s famous outfield incline allowed visitors to get a sense of what outfielders experienced when forced to run uphill to track down a fly ball.
No team better exemplified the golden era of baseball at Crosley Field than the 1956 club. The exhibit incorporated a bank of original Crosley Field lockers to display artifacts related to that team.
Cincinnati’s hosting of Major League Baseball’s Civil Rights Game in 2009 and 2010 provided the backdrop for this exploration of Cincinnati’s role in the Negro Leagues story.
Display panels discussed the history of the Negro Leagues and told the story of baseball’s integration as well as Chuck Harmon’s role in breaking the Reds’ color barrier in 1954.
Reproductions of images of great Negro Leagues players and teams were loaned to the Hall of Fame by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
The exhibit included a number of artifacts from the Negro Leagues on loan from the National Baseball Hall of Fame as well as items related to the 2009 and 2010 Civil Rights Games played in Cincinnati.
Among the artifacts on display in the exhibit was the #42 jersey worn by Ken Griffey Jr. in the first year of what has become an annual Jackie Robinson Day celebration throughout Major League Baseball.
50th Anniversary
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the start of the Reds Hall of Fame, the museum created an exhibit that highlighted the Hall’s history and the special place Reds baseball holds in the city.
1950s
The museum assembled game-used or period artifacts for each member of the Hall of Fame and displayed them chronologically. This section of the timeline highlights inductees from the 1950s.
This section of the exhibit’s artifact timeline includes Hall of Famers from the 1960s. Among the notable artifacts is Pete Rose’s Fred Hutchinson Award plaque.
The exhibit’s timeline highlighted not only Reds history but important events in city, national and world history as well. This portion of the timeline documents the 1950s.
While Hall of Famers were a focus of the exhibit, the team photo mural served as a reminder that every player who ever played for the Reds made his own unique mark on the club’s history.
This section of the exhibit’s timeline covers the great 1970s decade. Located beneath the graphic are a series of flip panels that challenged visitors with Reds history questions.
This section of the artifact timeline highlights Hall of Famers who contributed to the first Reds dynasty, the back-to-back pennant winners of 1939 and 1940.
Hall of Famers who made their marks in the 1970s and 1980s were the focus of this section of the exhibit’s artifact timeline.
On November 15, 2007, Reds fans everywhere were heartbroken by the news that the beloved Joe Nuxhall had passed away. The museum’s exhibit tribute to Joe celebrated his remarkable life.
The Nuxhall family graciously loaned dozens of items from Joe’s personal collection that were included in the exhibit.
Before he became a beloved broadcaster, Joe had enjoyed a long pitching career that earned him induction into the Reds Hall of Fame. The exhibit included a collection of items from his career.
After Joe’s passing, thousands of Reds fans took time to submit their memories of Joe to the Reds and local news outlets. Collected on this graphic were a sampling of some of them.
The last microphone Joe used as a broadcaster was displayed in the center of the exhibit gallery.
Items and images from Joe’s childhood in Hamilton were displayed.
From plaques and awards to golf clubs and Elvis busts, the exhibit’s wide variety of artifacts suggested the fullness and joy of Joe’s life.
For many years after he retired as a player, Joe would don a uniform and pitch batting practice to the Reds. Two of the jerseys he wore as a BP pitcher were included in the exhibit.
The long and historic playing career of Pete Rose was chronicled in this exhibit tribute to baseball’s all-time career hits leader.
Pete’s pursuit of Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record was the focus of this display of hit baseballs from the 1985 season. At the center of the display is hit No. 4,192 and the bat Pete used to get the hit.
A bank of Riverfront Stadium lockers was used to display artifacts from the 1970s and 1980s including items associated with Pete’s return to the Reds in 1984.
A bank of Crosley Field lockers was converted to a display space for artifacts from the 1960s including the silver bat Pete received for winning the 1969 batting title.
A chronological display of bats Pete used from throughout his career beginning with a bat he used during his rookie season.
A case in the exhibit was devoted to the display of gloves used by Pete as an outfielder, first baseman, second baseman and third baseman. Included in the display was a glove attributed to his rookie season.
A display case housed the baseballs Pete hit to reach the 200-hit plateau a record 10 times during his career.
Pete’s incredible popularity was duly represented through the display of hundreds of products and collectibles that have borne his likeness over the years.
The museum’s look back on the 1919 World Series and Edd Roush, the 1919 Reds’ biggest star, placed a focus on the greatness of the often-overshadowed Reds team that won the 1919 title.
A wall in the gallery was devoted to Roush’s career and was populated by artifacts loaned to the museum by the Roush family. A pair of Comiskey Park seats is in the foreground.
The exhibit’s video element showed silent footage from the 1919 World Series and also included audio from Edd Roush’s interview with Lawrence Ritter for Ritter’s seminal book, “The Glory of Their Times.”
Numerous artifacts associated with players and personalities from the 1919 Reds were featured in the exhibit, including game-used bats from notable 1919 Reds Heinie Groh, Jake Daubert and Edd Roush.
Text panels provided game summaries and statistics for each of the World Series games and explored the overall impact the fixing scandal had on the game.
Unquestionably, one of the most significant artifacts in baseball history, the last out ball from the 1919 World Series was the centerpiece of the exhibit.
The Reds’ title was won before the World Series ring tradition had taken hold. Members of the Reds were each given pins to mark their victory including this example that was presented to Edd Roush.
