The hall honors the retiring Athletic Director’s 17 years of service.
This morning, Spalding University unveiled a new Athletic Hall of Fame in the Columbia Gym. The Hall of Fame is named after Roger Burkman, the retiring athletic director who has been with Spalding for 17 years.
With Burkman as Athletic Director, Spalding programs won 24 conference championships, four United States Collegiate Athletic Association national championships, and qualified for the NCAA Division III national tournament twice. Burkman also worked with the Louisville Sports Commission to bring three NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships to the Louisville community and spent time on the SLIAC Administrative Council.
The Roger Burkman Hall of Fame brings together three decades of student athletes. The collection bridges the separation in history that occured when the Spalding mascot shifted from the Pelicans to the Golden Eagles. It will contain nets from notable games, archival photos, trophies, and plaques for new inductees.
The room is located in the former Golden Eagle North conference room in the Columbia Gym. The building is famous for being the gym where Muhammad Ali’s first learned to box and where his red bicycle was stolen. The Roger Burkman Hall of Fame adds to the history of sports in Louisville.
Burkman’s many years of service with Spalding and lifetime in the city, make his name the most proper fit for the new hall. A plaque honoring Burkman’s career and accomplishments has been hung in addition to the six inaugural Roger Burkman Hall of Fame inductees: Kristy Lampton, Kim Brohm, Tim Gray, Jake Ford, Kelly Harrod, and Abram Deng.