# A virtual trophy case your alumni can open from anywhere

> A virtual trophy case puts your school’s championships, trophies and team stories at a web address alumni, families and recruits can open from anywhere.

Source: https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/virtual-trophy-case · HistoryShowcase · Updated 2026-10-26

Your trophies sit in a lobby most alumni will never walk through again. A virtual trophy case shares every title, team photo and season story at a web address anyone with the link can open.

## What is a virtual trophy case?

A virtual trophy case is an online collection of a school’s championships, trophy photos and team stories that people open in a web browser instead of visiting the building, often linked from the athletics website. HistoryShowcase publishes the site at its own web address, so alumni, families and recruits can browse it on a phone, and a lobby touchscreen can show the same content.

- Made for: athletic directors, coaches and alumni directors
- Where schools put it: Athletics website, Alumni newsletter and reunion invitations, Messages to recruits
- Layouts: Pennant, Photo gallery, Timeline, Profiles
- Visitors can filter by: Sport, Decade, Year
- Cost: Free to use. No payment details required.

## The trophy case only reaches people in the building

A trophy case does its work in the lobby, for whoever happens to walk by. The players who won those trophies graduated, moved away and rarely come back. Their parents saw the case once, at a banquet. The recruit deciding between programs never sees it at all, and the alumni group chat trades the same few old photos because nobody can find the rest.

A virtual trophy case shares the same collection at its own web address. Link it from the athletics website, send it to a reunion class or include it in a note to a recruit, and they can browse the titles, team photos and stories from a phone or laptop. If the school also has a touchscreen in the lobby, it shows the same published site, so one update reaches both.

## How does a virtual trophy case compare with social media photo albums?

| What matters | Social media albums | HistoryShowcase |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Organization | Posts in date order | Collections by sport, decade and title |
| Finding an old season | Scroll back through years of posts | Filter by sport or search by name |
| Team stories | A caption per post | Roster, coach and season story for each title |
| Who can view it | Depends on platform and account settings | Anyone with the link, no sign-in needed |
| Same content in the lobby | Separate from any lobby display | The same published site runs on the touchscreen |

## What to share in a virtual trophy case

- **Championships by sport.** Every conference, regional and state title, each with the team photo, roster and the story of the season.
- **Photos of the trophies.** Pictures of each trophy and its engraving, including the ones packed away in storage.
- **Signature games.** The rivalry wins, comebacks and playoff runs alumni still bring up, told with photos from that night.
- **Coaches and their eras.** A profile for each longtime coach, with the titles their teams won.
- **Alumni athletes.** Former players who went on to college teams or careers, so recruits see where the program can lead.
- **Reunion class seasons.** Gather one class’s teams and titles in a collection, and send the link before reunion weekend.

## How to set up a virtual trophy case

Organize for someone browsing on a phone: by sport first, then by decade. The Pennant layout makes each championship easy to spot at a glance.

Site: Virtual Trophy Case

- **Championships** (Pennant): A pennant for each title, opening to the team, roster and season.
- **Team photos by decade** (Photo gallery): Scanned team photos and yearbook pages, grouped by decade.
- **Signature games** (Timeline): Memorable games in order, each with photos and the story.
- **Coaches** (Profiles): A profile for each longtime coach and the titles of their era.

Visitors can filter by: Sport, Decade, Year.

## How do you set up a virtual trophy case?

1. **Gather what alumni already have.** Ask former players for team photos and newspaper clippings, and pull trophies and yearbooks from storage to photograph.
2. **Build it in a private draft.** Add championships and photos, check the stories with longtime coaches, and preview the site exactly as visitors will see it.
3. **Publish and share the link.** Publish when it’s right, then link the web address from the athletics website, the alumni newsletter and messages to recruits.

## Where should you share a virtual trophy case?

- **Athletics website.** A permanent link from the athletics page for anyone looking up the program’s history.
- **Alumni newsletter and reunion invitations.** Send the link so former players can find their seasons before they arrive.
- **Messages to recruits.** Coaches can share the link so families see the program’s history from home.

## Virtual trophy case questions

### Who can see our virtual trophy case?

Anyone with the link can open the published site in a web browser. Drafts and archived stories stay private, and nothing appears until someone with publishing access publishes it.

### Do visitors need an app?

No. Visitors open the web address in a browser on a phone, tablet or computer. There’s nothing for them to download or sign in to.

### Can it also run on a touchscreen in our lobby?

Yes. The same published site runs full screen on a touchscreen, so your lobby display and your virtual trophy case always show the same content.

### Can alumni add their own photos?

Alumni can send photos to your team, and you add them. If a volunteer wants to help, add them by email as an editor so their changes go to a private draft first.

## Related

- [Digital Trophy Case](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/digital-trophy-case): A touchscreen beside your full trophy case, with the story and photos behind every trophy and plaque.
- [Virtual Hall of Fame](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/virtual-hall-of-fame): A hall of fame with its own web address, so alumni across the country can find themselves and share it.
- [Alumni Engagement Display](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/alumni-engagement-display): Give alumni a reason to look, share and send in stories: class pages, old photos and news from graduates.
- [College Athletics Recruiting Display](https://history-showcase.com/use-cases/college-recruiting-display): Show recruits and families your program’s history, honorees and alumni on campus and after the visit.

Share your trophy case with everyone who earned it Free to use. No payment details required. Start building, no account needed: https://history-showcase.com/start