What’s Happening to the Madison Cubs’ Wall of Fame?

Madison Consolidated High School is experiencing some changes to the beloved Hall of Fame (or affectionately known as the Wall of Fame) . The MCHS athletic department has announced that the Wall of Fame will be utilizing a digital showcase of the history of Cubs athletics. However, they have recently come under fire from members of the community for reportedly removing some of the real pictures of Cub athletes from the traditional wall.

According to MCHS athletic director Joe Bronkella, the pictures currently displayed in Madison’s Hall of Fame will not be taken down. The ultimate plan is to preserve and expand the memorabilia.

“Our current Hall of Fame display has been incomplete for some time due to missing or damaged photos. Our goal was to identify a platform where we could, if necessary, recreate images to make sure all athletes were represented and honored,” Bronkella said.

Due to construction and renovation efforts, many pieces of Cub memorabilia has been uncovered throughout the school, some of which had suffered water damage or broken glass and frames.

“We would like to use the digital images we have created to get printed photographs of those individuals which are missing or have been damaged in order to create a uniform, physical display of photographs which will remain on our wall. We are taking them down to update and reformat. They will be back on display afterwards. We don’t have all of the pictures listed on the physical hall of fame. The board will display all 98 that should be up there,” stated Bronkella. “The negative to this is that it is a very long process. We have been working on it for over a year.”

The project began in January of 2018, and has been ongoing ever since.

“Collectively, we had several meetings with in-depth discussions regarding location, platform, and structure and together we determined a digital platform, similar to ones used at other high schools and universities, would be a great option to meet our needs,” Bronkella added.

After re-imaging of the photos, they will all be put up and displayed in a uniform manner. Madison Schools has been working with the MCHS student athletic council, and they will be discussing their ideas on how to continue the preservation of Cub history.

In addition to the re-envisioned Hall of Fame, The first ever “Decades Game” was hosted at MCHS. It was created to honor senior male basketball athletes from past decades. The former athletes and students of MCHS were invited to walk on the court for recognition during half-time.

“This idea was something Coach McFarland brought to us and wanted to bring to life as a way to honor Madison’s basketball programs,” said Bronkella.

According to Bronkella, the intent of the revamped Hall of Fame is to bring higher visibility to the traditional Hall of Fame and provide a way to share the history of the Madison Cubs. However, it appears MCHS will also be sticking with the conventional Hall of Fame, as well.  The digital Hall of Fame will not only be displayed in the school, but you can also access it digitally by clicking here. “

Bronkella added, “We realize the importance of a comprehensive archive which includes each athlete who achieved Hall of Fame status.”