29th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner
A Huge Success for the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis
Celebrities, sports legends, corporate leaders and more joined NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti, his son Marc, and Event Chair Mark Dalton as they hosted a sold out crowd in celebration of the 29th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner presented by Carnival Corporation & PLC and the Carnival Foundation. Held at New York’s famed Waldorf Astoria, the dinner paid tribute to philanthropic heroes and sports icons that inspire and motivate those affected by spinal cord injuries, and raised important funds for research and the Human Clinical Trials Initiative. Tom Brokaw of NBC News served as Master of Ceremonies of the dinner to support the efforts of The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, and to honor this year’s Great Sports Legends: Hakeem Olajuwon, Warren Sapp, Pedro Martinez, Joe Sakic, Bill Cowher, Mary Lou Retton and Lauryn Williams. Music legend Smokey Robinson treated guests to a very special performance.
Seven-time NBA All-Star Grant Hill and retired NFL Pro-Bowl running back Calvin Hill each received the 2014 Buoniconti Fund Award. Professional Golfer Erik Compton, a two-time heart transplant patient who finished runner-up at the 2014 U.S. Open Championships, was the 2014 Inspiration Award recipient. Bill Simon, former President and CEO of Walmart U.S., received The Buoniconti Fund’s Outstanding Business Leader Award.
The annual event benefits The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis and raises funds to support the cutting-edge spinal cord injury research done by researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Since its inception in 1985, the Great Sports Legends Dinner has honored more than 300 sports legends and honorees and has raised more than $100 million for The Miami Project’s spinal cord injury research programs.
Additional notables in attendance included: Grammy winning Producer and Musician Emilio Estefan, eighteen-time Grammy Award-winning singer Aretha Franklin, actor Christian Slater (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Interview with the Vampire), five-time Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Nadia Comãneci, 10-time Olympic swimming medalist Gary Hall, Jr., Friday Night Lights’ Brad Leland, NFL Hall of Famer Harry Carson, NHL Hall of Famer Brian Leetch, former NY Giants linebacker Brian Kelly, actor Colin Egglesfield (Something Borrowed, The Client List) and many, many more.
Sponsors for the evening are: Carnival Corporation & PLC and the Carnival Foundation, Tiffany & Co., HBO Sports, Barton G. and Diageo.
For more information about The Buoniconti Fund, please visit: www.thebuonicontifund.com
