ONEONTA – The National Soccer Hall of Fame unveiled the new College Championship exhibit, last Thursday, featuring photographs of the 2006 national collegiate championship teams. “College soccer has been a part of the game’s history since the 1860s,” said George Brown, Hall of Fame president. “Interestingly the game that intercollegiate football claims as its first had a close resemblance to the soccer played in that era also.” The new exhibit features both men’s and women’s national championship teams not only from the well-known NCAA tournament, but also the teams that won the championships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, National Junior College Athletic Association, and the National Christian College Athletic Association. “We have been exploring different ways to augment the MAC Hermann Award exhibit, an annual award for the top male and female players in collegiate soccer, and believe this to be a natural fit,” said Jack Huckel, Hall of Fame director of Museum and Archives. “Our next step, once funding is secured, is to create a historical database of championship teams that can be accessed by visitors via an interactive display. “Collegiate teams have long been the backbone of soccer in the United States, and it is fitting that collegiate champions should be honored in the National Soccer Hall of Fame.”
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