The Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) has been inducting members into their Hall of Fame since 1994, but didn’t have a place to showcase the more than 400 honorees.

That changed in December when the NSAA opened Exhibit Hall, a place dedicated to the Hall of Fame.

The project started in 2007 when former NSAA Executive Director Jim Tenopir had the foresight to set aside 7,000 square feet of space of the new NSAA headquarters to a hall of fame.

For a period of five years, there was little work done on the space, but, thanks to an anonymous donor and other fundraisers, the first phase of Exhibit Hall has been complete.

Thus far, Exhibit Hall features three kiosks. The first includes an introduction film, the second an interactive listing of all the high schools in Nebraska and the third information about all the inductees.

The introduction film is 17 minutes long with 12 minutes dedicated to the character of sportsmanship.

“Sportsmanship is the educational mission of the NSAA,” said Larry Munksgaard, executive director of the Nebraska High School Hall of Fame Foundation.

The second kiosk includes information about all the high schools in Nebraska from 1854 until 1994. After selecting a school on the kiosk a picture and a history of that school is displayed on the screen. The information is based on the book “Pages of History: Nebraska High Schools 1854-1994.”

“The information was given to us for nothing,” Munksgaard said. “Some of these schools aren’t even in use anymore. Visitors can take a trip down memory lane.”

The final kiosk is in the Hall of Honor. Plaques with a listing of the Hall of Fame inductees are back lit in an oval shaped area of Exhibit Hall. The kiosk, located in the middle of that area provides visitors with the information about inductees with a picture and a biography.

There are two other interesting things about Exhibit Hall. The first is a piece of memorabilia – a 1930s scoreboard that is still in working condition.

“Instead of displaying the time remaining, it’s an old clock,” Munksgaard said.

The other is part of the Hall of Honor and is two glass panes that feature sportsmanship words and sayings.

More information about Exhibit Hall, including visiting hours and how to donate memorabilia, can be found on the Hall of Fame Foundation Web site.