BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame inducted its Class of 2024 on Nov. 12. The group highlights a diverse cohort of local sports figures including an NFL insider at 2 On Your Side, a Stanley Cup champion, a Super Bowl winner, and a person with a connection to President George W. Bush.
Those honored include: Kevin Cadle, Vic Carucci, Norm Foster, Warren Gelman, Rob Gronkowski, Rick Lancellotti, Dr. Bridget Niland, Richard Brooks Orpik, Cecelie Owens, Walt Stefani, Ed Van Tine, and Paul Wieland. They all shared personal stories and reflected on their careers in sports during the ceremony.
Cecelie Owens is recognized for her performance as a basketball player at Buffalo State College. She holds 19 records for the Lady Bengals. After her playing days, she became Buffalo Public School’s first assistant superintendent of physical education, health, and athletics in 2020.
Owens also founded the G.I.R.L.S. Sports Foundation which stands for Goals, Integrity, Respect, Leadership, and Sports. It provides local girls with mentors, summer camps, and clinics. Now, Owens is currently the principal at West Hertel Academy #94.
“I am standing before you getting my reward for not giving up and moving around and through the obstacles,” Owens said.
Richard Brooks Orpik was a NCAA hockey champion and two-time Stanley Cup winner. He played 16 years in the NHL and competed in three Olympics for Team USA. Orpik was nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership and community service in 2018.
He credits his upbringing in the Buffalo area as part of his success.
“Growing up at Amherst, we were very lucky to have access to a ton of ice rinks and ice time, which is one of the biggest economic hurdles in growing our sport,” Brooks Orpik said. “I was born and spent my first few years in California, but Buffalo is where I'm from.”
Walt Stefani was a 34-year standout coach for Orchard Park High School boys' volleyball. He won 18 Divisional Championships, 10 Section VI D-1 Championships, 3 Regional New York State Championships, and led his team to two undefeated seasons. He was named Western New York Volleyball Coach of the Year in 1982, one of eight times he won the award. He was New York State’s Volleyball Coach of the Year in 1994. He credits those around him for many of his accomplishments.
“I was always surrounded by many great people in my life,” Stefani said.
Warren Gelman is recognized for his work in hockey. After playing at Yale, Gelman became the President of the Shamrock Amateur Hockey Association, now known as the Bison Hockey Association. For 36 years that’s where he coached boys’ and girls’ hockey, winning several league and state championships. He founded the first girls’ hockey team in Western New York in 1986.
Former President George W. Bush offered his support for Gelman during the Hall of Fame ceremony.
“In my second year at Yale, after joining the DKE fraternity, I was assigned a Big Brother from Buffalo. At 5’6”, 140 pounds, Warren Gelman wasn't that big of a brother, but he was a giant in stature and one of Yale University's most illustrious college hockey captains,” he said.
Vic Carucci has been an NFL writer and broadcaster for nearly 50 years. He has worked for the Buffalo News as an editor for NFL.com, a contributor on NFL Network, and a senior editor for the Cleveland Browns. He's written 11 books including New York Times Best-Sellers and collaborated with big names in the sports world like Bill Polian, Jon Gruden, and Jim Kelly.
Now, Carucci is a co-host for SiriusXM NFL Radio and is a Bills and NFL analyst for 2 On Your Side. Carucci is a past president of the Pro Football Writers of America and a long-time member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee.
During his speech, he joked about first meeting another Class of 2024 member, Rob Gronkowski.
“For Gronk and I, this is a full circle moment. We first met at my house when he was in junior high school. He was in the same circle of friends as my younger daughter,” Carucci said. “I can't wait, buddy, to cast my first ballot for when you're going to get your gold jacket to go to Canton.”
Rob Gronkowski needs no introduction. The Amherst Native was a four-time Super Bowl winner, five-time Pro Bowler, four-time First Team All-Pro, and featured on the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. He is likely to be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the coming years. Now, he works as an NFL TV analyst. Gronkowski founded the Gronk Nation Youth Foundation to give back to children through sports, education, and community involvement.
As a kid, Gronkowski said he always thought he would be in the NFL.
“I was always terrible at reading and writing, but I wrote a paper saying I'm making it to the NFL. To this day, I have talked to those teachers a few times and they are mind-blown. I did exactly what I said I was gonna do, even though the paper was poorly written,” Gronkowski said.
Gronkowski also recalled his first meeting with Carucci.
“I remember walking into his house hanging with his daughters and friends and I knew he was an NFL reporter and I told him straight to his face in eighth grade, ‘Hey, Vic, you're going to be writing about me one day.’ He thought I was trying to be cool and spit game to his daughter, but I was being serious. He said, ‘Sure, kid, keep it moving’ along those lines,” Gronkowski said. “So it's a full circle moment now and then here we are now, buddy. I love you, man.”
Those were just a few of the many members of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. You can watch the full commUNITY episode 70 below.