The Frederick Sports Mural will break ground outside of Harry S. Grove Stadium in early June 2023. The two-million-dollar project is a collaboration of TGP Gives and Community Arts Project, Inc. and will span 7,700 square feet, honoring 250 exceptional athletes representing over 30 sports. Included are athletes from 1895 through 2020.
Mural Athlete and Alderman Derek Shackleford, Alderman Kelly Russell, Economic Development Director Richard Griffin and Mayor Michael O’Connor are some of the first to support the vision for the Mural. The City of Frederick has made it possible for the Frederick Sports Mural to become a reality.
Support and funding have come from many local sources, including: Phil Hammond and the Delaplaine Foundation investing $35,000, Caylee Winpigler and the Ausherman Family Foundation investing $25,000, Frederick County investing $50,000 and the State of Maryland for investing $200,000. In addition, multiple members of the Key City Rotary are currently helping to fundraise and promote the mural project.
This historic mural will be one of the largest in the world with full color portraits completed by a single artist, Yemi Fagbohun. Yemi is well-known in Frederick County for his community-centered projects and he collaborates with towns across the region to design highly-collectible keepsakes highlighting area landmarks. Courtyard by Marriott, The Common Market, Creekside Plaza and many more locations are home to his large historic murals and glass installations.
The mural showcases the rich history of athletics in Frederick County over the past 125 years and includes almost exclusively professional athletes, Olympic/International/US Olympic Trail athletes, NCAA Division I All-Americans and NCAA Division I All-Conference athletes—along with a few outstanding coaches and a Preakness winning horse. The earliest athlete played professional baseball in the National League in 1895. The youngest honoree is a female basketball player who won a Gold Medal at the 2019 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and qualified for the U17 World Championships.
Due to its proximity to MD Route 355 and Interstate 70, there will be more than 44 million views per year of the mural from these roads. Expect this to be the hottest new tourist attraction to Frederick!
We asked a few people close to the project to share about what the Frederick Sports Mural means to them and here’s what they had to say:
Joe Gatewood, Owner and Director of TGP Gives
I want people to know how passionate so many people are about this project, and how much work has gone into bringing this idea to fruition. The 250 athletes who have been chosen are so honored and excited to be on the wall and be permanently acknowledged for their achievements. We have athletes represented from every decade between 1890 to 2020, embodying a diversity of sports, races, genders and mobilities, which signifies Frederick County’s complex and successful sports landscape. This project is 8 years in the making, which makes the groundbreaking even more significant.
Rob Havenstein, Offensive Tackle for Los Angeles Rams
The sports mural is important to Frederick because it puts a spotlight on a lot of great athletes who have come out of a relatively small area. Frederick has consistently produced athletes on all levels and I’m proud to have my name in the mix with some other amazing athletes.
The mural will be one of the largest sports murals ever completed by a single artist. Pretty cool just on its own...There is also an opportunity for people to include a coach, mentor or loved one on the bleacher section of the mural to honor their legacy. For example, I believe [my high school football coach] Rick Conner is over qualified to be included on the mural so I pledged a campaign to raise $25,000 to get Rick on the mural.
Frederick is just such a special place to be from and I’m proud as heck to be from Maryland and Frederick specifically. A small state that might lose out on the national spotlight but the people who know, know that Maryland—and Frederick specifically—is an amazing place.
Yemi Fagbohun, Award-Winning Artist
When finished, the mural will be the world's largest sports mural, by a single artist, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. This will make our mural, the 'Sistine Chapel' of sports. A destination for people worldwide...helping to lift all boats in our community, from tourism to real estate to the local stores.
Frederick is a very rich vein of world-class athletes, and has been for decades. It is something of a paradox why Frederick has produced so many world-class athletes, but it has! We will tell the inspiring story of each athlete, not only in the art, but with our accompanying book and using QR codes, online as well. This has been a labor of love for all of us on the team…We have all burned the midnight oil to get Mural to this pivotal point, and are all excited to be on the journey as a team.
Mary Ellen Mitchell, Community Engagement Consultant
One of the things I love best about the Mural is that through art we will see how our County has changed over the past 125 years. Frederick is a microcosm of the impact of national issues like racial equality, gender parity and opportunities for persons with disabilities in athletics. The mural will show us who we were and how we have come to be in 14-foot images that tell stories of individual achievement and inspiration.
Tony “C” Checchia, Board Chair and Owner of VCRE.CO
The idea of the Frederick Sports Mural was born out of chance. The vision was born out of passion. The creation of the mural will be a result of years of work, collaboration and persistence. To be able to realize the original vision for the mural upon its completion and to share the mural with the community, the County, the State and the World...will truly be legendary.
See the list of athletes selected to be on the Frederick Sports Mural and find out how you can get involved:
FrederickSportsMural.org