March Madness Comes to the National Archives
By Angela Tudico | National Archives News
NCAA Basketball Championship trophies, 2002 and 2006, on display at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC. Photo by Susana Raab.
WASHINGTON, March 10, 2023 — Two NCAA Basketball Championship trophies are now on view at the National Archives Museum as part of the exhibit All American: The Power of Sports, and just in time for March Madness.
The trophies, which will be on display for several months, are the results of two successful tournament runs by University of Maryland basketball teams—the men’s team in 2002 and the women’s team in 2006.
After making it to the Final Four in 2001, head coach Gary Williams led the men's basketball team to capture the 2002 NCAA title by defeating Indiana University, 64-52.
Under current head coach Brenda Frese, the Maryland women's basketball team won the NCAA championship four years later when they defeated Duke University in a thrilling overtime battle, 78-75. The team finished the year ranked number one in the nation for the first time in the program's history.
The All American exhibit looks at the impact Title IX had on women's sports in creating opportunities for women to compete in college and professional athletics, and these two trophies help tell that story.
“Many women's and men's NCAA champion teams visit the White House, often leaving a gift like the University of Wisconsin-Madison women's hockey jersey given to President Bush in 2007 that is featured in All American,” said exhibit curator Alice Kamps. “The University of Maryland trophies, like the other items on display, are a testament to the importance of sports in our national life.”
The All American exhibit is on view through January 7, 2024, in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery of the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC.
Admission to the National Archives Museum is always free, and reservations are not required.
All American: The Power of Sports is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of AT&T, AARP, and Mars, Incorporated. Additional support provided by HISTORY® and the Lawrence F. O’Brien Family.