Visiting John Hamilton’s Newport Sports Museum was a throwback to yesteryear, one of the world’s greatest collections of sports memorabilia, but also a perfect place for special events, youth field trips and home to some of the most prestigious trophies of our time.

During the two decades it was open to the public, in a building near Fashion Island in Newport Beach, Hamilton insisted on providing museum programs for at-risk youth, such as the Legacy Leadership Project, Athlete Outreach, Sport Yourself and Career Choices. The mission of the Newport Sports Museum was to keep kids in school and off drugs by getting them involved in athletics.

That was just the tip of the iceberg in Hamilton’s charitable endeavors, however, as the Orange County native left a lasting sports legacy when he died Aug. 5 at age 78 from coronavirus-related complications.

Hamilton, a 1964 USC graduate, was chairman and founder of the USC Athletic Hall of Fame and Lott IMPACT Trophy, awarded annually to the nation’s best in character and defense in college football. Hamilton’s charitable involvement included Goodwill Industries, Big Brothers, the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, USC Associates, the Pacific Club and the Richard Nixon Foundation.

The Newport Sports Museum, which closed in 2015, hosted myriad events, programs and pieces of sports history.

When Auburn played Florida State in the 2014 national championship game at the Rose Bowl, the Coaches’ Trophy, awarded to the winner of the Bowl Championship Series, was on display to the public at the museum.  The Coaches’ Trophy was a Waterford crystal trophy shaped like a football, handmade and sculpted in Ireland with a value at $30,000. It was the final year of the BCS, as college football changed to a new four-team playoff format.

At age 12, Hamilton collected his first piece of sports memorabilia, a signed football from the Look Magazine All-American Football Team. It ignited a lifelong passion, leading to more than 10,000 items at Newport Sports Museum, including Babe Ruth’s 714th and last home run ball.

The museum’s basement featured a room filled with old baseball stadium seats, along with a mural of former Angel and Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan pitching his final strike in a record fourth career no-hitter against the Orioles’ Bobby Grich on June 1, 1975. Ryan ended his career with seven no-hitters.

“We mentor 5,000 kids a year who come and participate in our programs,” Hamilton said in 2012. “The collection’s really secondary. What’s important is the message we’re giving kids. It’s not about me, it’s all about the kids, and we do everything with no charge.”

While Hamilton’s favorite sport was baseball, it was through college football and the Lott IMPACT Trophy that he helped generate thousands of dollars in scholarships. (IMPACT is an acronym for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.) The annual Lott Trophy banquet is hosted by the Pacific IMPACT Foundation, which awards $25,000 to the general scholarship fund of the winning player’s school, and $5,000 to each of the schools of the other three finalists.

Hamilton graduated from Orange High in 1959 and loved Saturday night drag races. Beginning in 1977, Hamilton worked in construction and real estate development, serving as president of the Hamilton Company in Newport Beach.

He is survived by his wife, Kathy, their three children, John Jr., Kate and Jill, 10 grandchildren and a brother, Rick.

Richard Dunn, a longtime sportswriter, writes the Dunn Deal column regularly for The Orange County Register’s weekly, The Coastal Current North.