The 28th 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 28th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner to benefit The Buoniconti Fund, the fundraising arm of The Miami Project at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. 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 raises important funds for research and the Christine E. Lynn Human Clinical Trials Initiative. Bob Costas, NBC Sports anchor, served as Master of Ceremonies and helped honor this year’s Great Sports Legends: Terry Bradshaw, James Worthy, Dave Winfield, Nick Faldo, Shawn Johnson, Gary Stevens, Antron Brown and Teresa Edwards.
Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly received the 2013 Inspiration Award, and two-time NBA champion player and NBA TV analyst Kenny Smith was honored with The 2013 Buoniconti Fund Award.
Special donors were so moved by the evening that they made donations on the spot to help fund the important research at The Miami Project. Philanthropist Stewart Rahr donated $2.2 million and Outback Steakhouse Founder Tim Gannon generously gave another $1 million in support of SCI research.
Additional notables in attendance included: NFL Hall of Famer Harry Carson, NHL Hall of Famer Brian Leetch, Grammy winning Producer and Musician Emilio Estefan, Olympian Gary Hall, Jr., Friday Night Lights’ Brad Leland, Gossip Girl’s Matthew Settle, NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry, Three-Time NBA Champion Bruce Bowen, actor Colin Egglesfield from Something Borrowed and The Client List, and Former Miami Dolphins Dick Anderson, Jay Fielder, and many, many more.
The evening included a live performance by Broadway’s “Jersey Boys”. The exciting live auction offered a unique opportunity to golf with the greatest golfer of all time, Jack Nicklaus, an Iconic New York Package presented by Tiffany & Co., and a Masters Golf experience with guest auctioneer Nick Faldo who added special Masters themed perks to the highest bidder. TNT Basketball Analyst Kenny Smith also surprised the crowd with an opportunity to visit the TNT set and appear on the show during the broadcast.
Sponsors for the evening included: HBO Sports, Tiffany & Co., Diageo, United Airlines, and Barton G.
