Featured News - Current News - Archived News - News Categories

Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame induction dinner is Oct. 30

by jmaloni

Submitted

Thu, Oct 17th 2013 03:25 pm

Less than 100 tickets remain

The Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame will induct its 13-member class Wednesday, Oct. 30, at the annual awards dinner at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo.

The cash bar reception begins at 5 p.m. with a silent auction of sports memorabilia. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m., followed by the induction ceremony. Proceeds from the dinner and the auction benefit the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame Amateur Sports Development Fund.

A limited number of tickets are available through the order form at the Hall of Fame website (www.gbshof.com), and are $85 per ticket, or $750 for a table of 10. For additional ticket information, patrons are encouraged to call Tina Pastwik at 716-693-3807.

 "This should be another great event for the sports fans of Western New York," said Therese Forton-Barnes, president of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. "Our expectation is to have another large and enthusiastic crowd at the Hyatt as we honor a Stanley Cup champion, a Super Bowl winner, an Olympic medalist and legends from Western New York."

Western New York sports fans living out of town and overseas can access a live webcast of the banquet at http://totalwebcasting.com/live/rpm.

This year's class joins a rich heritage of native Western New Yorkers, or those who starred in and around the Queen City during their playing days, who are enshrined in the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.

This year's class includes:

•A pioneer for female athletes, and the ECC Kats first true female superstar: Pam Amabile.

•A two-time New York State Coach of the Year, and legendary football coach from Albion High School: Dick Diminuco.

•One of the most influential people in the long history of Buffalo State athletics: Fred Hartrick.

•A legendary Western New York bowler whose success at the lanes spans five decades: Art Jeziorski.

•A native Western New Yorker who played more than 17 seasons in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup with the Anaheim Ducks: Todd Marchant.

•A Buffalo native who played six seasons in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants: Phil McConkey.

•A writer who has covered just about every sporting event in Western New York in his 46 years with the Buffalo News: Milt Northrop.

•A Fredonia native who has won gold and silver medals in the Olympic games for pole vaulting: Jennifer Suhr.

The Pride of WNY inducted posthumously this year are:

•An iconic sports figure and community leader in Western New York: General Bass.

•A three-time world heavyweight wrestling champion: Ed Don George.

•Once dubbed as the "nerve center of amateur sports in WNY," a visionary for youth sports and a leading basketball administrator: Herbert Mols.

•One of the nation's greatest handball players ever: Walter Plekan.

•An outstanding defensive catcher who once set a MLB record for handling 581 consecutive chances without an error: Frank Pytlak.

The Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame honors those who have enhanced Western New York with their performances and commitment to Western New York sports - an effort surpassed only by the positive impressions they have left on the athletes of tomorrow.

Hometown News

View All News