BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame has already started the process of enshrining 12 people and one organization into its hallowed halls.
Instead of its normal in-person gala, honorees will be honored virtually during four broadcasts on WGR 550. Each broadcast will feature interviews with inductees from previous years, like Darryl Talley, Sue Walsh, Jeff Manto and more.
The virtual nature of the ceremony gave the Hall of Fame the opportunity to honor some local legends who have passed away.
"Without an in-person ceremony, we made the decision to induct 12 deceased members from the Greater Buffalo sports community,” said Greg Merkle, the president of the organization. “These individuals are part of the rich history of sports in the area and this format provides us a great opportunity to recognize their greatness.”
Three inductees will be honored on the broadcast each Saturday until November 21 from 10-11 a.m. The first virtual ceremony was last week, on October 31. The Buffalo Bison hockey franchise will be the 13th honoree during the final virtual ceremony.
The Hall of Fame will also be hosting an online auction throughout the month-long event. Items up for grabs include a Jack Eichel autographed photo, a Stefan Diggs Bills jersey, experiences from the Buffalo Bisons and others. Click here to see the full auction lineup.
The full list of inductees are
- Frank Hinkey (Tonawanda, NY) – Yale football 4X All-American; College Football HOF in 1951; Greatest FB player in the 19th century.
- Billy Kelly (Bergen, NY) – Sports Editor The Buffalo Courier and Courier Express (1904-1954).
- Frank Mount Pleasant (Tuscarora Reservation, Lewiston, NY) – 1904 & 1908 Olympic jumper; Carlisle College and Dickinson.
- Charles Ackerly (Cuba, NY) – 1920 Olympic wrestling gold medalist at 132 pounds; Cornell University HOF.
- Ignatius “Iggy” Gronkowski (Buffalo, NY) – 1924 US Olympic Cycling team; Five world records; Gronk’s great grandfather.
- Otto Roehm (Hamilton, Ontario) – 1904 Olympic Wrestling Gold medalist; Professional middleweight wrestling champion.
- Benny Bengough (Niagara Falls, NY) – Played catcher for NY Yankees 1923-30; Two World Series; Niagara University.
- James “Pud” Galvin – (St. Louis, Mo) – Pitched 6+ MLB seasons in Buffalo; Baseball’s first 300 game-winner; 1965 Baseball Hall of Fame.
- Luke Urban (Fall River, Mass) – End for Buffalo All-Americans (1921-24); All-NFL in 1922 & 23; Head Basketball (68-47) and Football (46-27-7) coach at Canisius College from 1921-30; Canisius HOF.
- Frank Berst (Buffalo, NY) – Seven-Time US National Throw Champion between 1941 and 1950; Manhattan All-American.
- William Leushner (Cookstown, Ontario) – 1908 Olympic Gold medalist in rifle; Silver and two bronze medals in the 1912 Olympics.
- Frank Wright (South Wales, NY) – Won team gold and individual bronze in trap shooting at 1920 Olympics; National Trapshooting HOF; 8X New York State Champion.
- Buffalo Bisons Hockey with John Boutet and Mike Robitaille – Bisons played from 1940-70 with five Calder Cup championships & eight division titles.
