Date of Award

2007

Document Type

Thesis: Open Access

Degree Name

MA History

Department

History

Committee Chair

Colin Fisher, Ph.D., Co-Chair

Committee Co-Chair

Iris Engstrand, Ph.D., Co-Chair

Abstract

Most people can identify with holding onto possessions from the past. Childhood toys, vintage clothing you're hoping will again one day be fashionable, old dusty scrapbooks, or even that hideous lamp which no longer works. While the majority of our clutter is in fact junk, it still evokes fond trips down memory lane and might serve to tell a story about a specific time, place, or person. And then there was Bob Breitbard's "junk"-- priceless sports artifacts and memorabilia collected over some fifteen years, filling up his garage and forcing his wife to post an eviction notice for his beloved clutter. But Breitbard knew his clutter deserved a home, and instead of holding what could have been the greatest garage sale of all time, he decided to open a museum. So, if not for the art of hoarding, a tidy wife, and a man with an appreciation for recognition and dedication, San Diego most likely would not have the most unique multi-sports museum in the nation, the Hall of Champions. The story of Bob Breitbard's impact on sports in San Diego entails, however, much more than founding the Hall of Champions. While the Hall of Champions is the most impressive of Breitbard' s accomplishments, and will most likely account for his most significant legacy in San Diego, the man affectionately known as "Mr. B" is indeed San Diego's greatest sportsman. Breitbard's reach has touched every facet of sports in San Diego on all levels of competition from youth, high-school, college, and amateur to professional ranks. If you have ever lived in San Diego, chances are Bob Breitbard has impacted your life. If not directly, then you probably have a relative who coached, played for, competed with or against, worked for, or was honored by Bob Breitbard. Besides being San Diego sports' biggest fan, Bob Breitbard has been an athlete, coach, athletic foundation and museum founder and president, benefactor, sports council member, and franchise owner. Before Breitbard started his athletic foundation in 1946, San Diego was a little known city, especially when it came to major sports recognition. Not for a lack of effort, though. Many great athletes of the time emerged from San Diego, and numerous sports of all types were played. But major league status eluded the city, as high powered college athletics and professional leagues were almost all centered on the east coast. The athletes who chose to remain on the west coast all fled to universities in Los Angeles, namely UCLA and USC. In January 1936, during Breitbard'sjunior year of high school, San Diego lured in its first semi-professional team when the Pacific Coast League Padres relocated from Hollywood. Before the arrival of the Padres, San Diegans competed in team sports on the amateur level. The city fielded club teams comprised of local citizens and military squads made up of servicemen stationed on the many bases. Other popular spectator sports in the area were boxing matches, auto races, horse racing and polo, golf, swimming, tennis, badminton, wrestling, rowing and sailing, track and field, and the most popular draw in town, high school football. Despite the wide array of athletics in which San Diegans competed in, the city had no major league teams the locals could cheer for. Worse, stellar athletic achievements by citizens were going unrecognized, let alone honored.

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