Sports legends, celebrities, corporate leaders, media personalities and more attended last night’s 27th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner, hosted by The Buoniconti Fund. NBC Sports Icon, Bob Costas returned as Master of Ceremonies at the event, which paid tribute to philanthropic heroes and sports legends that inspire and motivate those affected by spinal cord injuries. Held at New York’s famed Waldorf Astoria, the star-studded dinner raised nearly $18 million.
This year’s honorees included Shaquille O’Neal, Joe Torre, Marshall Faulk, Tony Perez, Mark Martin, Lorena Ochoa, Jake LaMotta and Lisa Leslie. Famed NBA Player and NBA Championship Winner, Alonzo Mourning, was presented with The Buoniconti Fund Award for his commitment to the organization. Grammy Award Winning Musician and Producer, Emilio Estefan, was honored with The Outstanding Business Leader Award.
Other notables in attendance included:, NBA legend Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier, boxer Laila Ali, Olympian Jordan Burroughs, Olympian Bonnie Blair, Olympian Gary Hall, Jr., NFL Hall of Famer Harry Carson, Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien, 1980 Miracle on Ice Team Captain Mike Eruzione, NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry, and many more.
Founded by NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti after his son, Marc, became paralyzed during a college football game, The Buoniconti Fund, is the fundraising arm of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, the world’s most comprehensive spinal cord injury research center. Since its inception in 1985, the Great Sports Legends Dinner has honored more than 283 sports legends and honorees and has raised $93 million for The Miami Project’s spinal cord injury research programs. Contributions from previous events have funded the first ever human clinical trial, recently approved by the FDA to become the first of its kind.
