To enshrine the great athletes of the Bay Area and to help kids play sports. The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that began in 1979 with the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce’s Sports Committee and Lou Spadia, former president of the San Francisco 49ers. Spadia had long dreamed of a Hall of Fame to honor the Bay Area’s athletic legends. Along with Chamber President Bill Dauer, Spadia founded the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, and began a multiple-decade success story.
Now celebrating 40 years of enshrining the great athletes of the Bay Area and Helping Kids Play Sports. The growth of our organization is the result of the generosity of our donors and volunteers. There would be no Hall of Fame and no awards – if not for the financial contributions and the commitment of time to help our youth pursue their dreams to play sports!
Spadia was well aware of the inside scramble for the National Football Hall of Fame site. The problem was solved when the Timken Roller Bearing Company of Canton, Ohio, agreed to subsidize the hall “forever.”
And so, as president of BASHOF, Spadia argued against a local museum. The costs of acquiring or constructing a building, plus permanent staffing and maintenance, deter from honoring the Bay Area athletic legends. He also noted that the gloves and spikes of Joe DiMaggio and Willie Mays were already in Cooperstown; the prized memorabilia of others would likely be in national halls. Spadia proposed that the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame create “The Hall Without a Hall,” a slogan and model copied around the nation.
The first Enshrinement Banquet was held in 1980 and honored Bay Area sports legends Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, Hank Luisetti, Ernie Nevers, and Bill Russell. The banquet generated enough funds to provide $5,000 grants for badly needed athletic equipment for the Police Activities Leagues of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. Today, over 40 years later, the BASHOF has given more than 4 million dollars to over 500 youth organizations in the Bay Area. The funds generated from our annual Enshrinement Ceremony and other unique events throughout the year are distributed to qualified 501(c)(3) youth organizations in the eleven Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, and Sonoma.
With the continuing support of the Bay Area corporate community, foundations, and individuals, BASHOF will continue to grow and support the future leaders of our area. To be the community’s most caring and dedicated nonprofit committed to celebrating sports greatness while inspiring youth sports participation throughout our communities in the Bay Area.
© 2024 Bay Area Sports Hall Of Fame. All rights reserved.
