The Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame will induct 12 deceased individuals who are historic figures in Western New York sports in a series of four radio shows on WGR 550 AM, first-year HOF president Greg Merkle announced Monday.
The 30th anniversary class, composed of local sports legends, will be introduced in a series of live shows that will be broadcast 10 to 11 a.m. on four consecutive Saturdays beginning Oct. 31. Howard Simon will be the host.
There is no in-person Hall of Fame induction banquet this year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Induction of living Hall of Fame candidates won't be until 2021.
“Our board has spent the past six months working on this year’s class and I believe the sports fans of Western New York will be excited about the inductees," Merkle said. "Without an in-person ceremony, we made the decision to induct 12 deceased members from the Greater Buffalo sports community.”
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Three Hall of Fame members will be inducted each Saturday. Also, the Buffalo Bisons hockey franchise, which ceased operations in 1970 after winning the American Hockey League Calder Cup and the founding of the NHL Sabres, will be saluted on the final show, Nov. 21.
Each broadcast will feature interviews with Hall of Fame members. That lineup includes Jeff Manto, Ruben Brown, Darryl Talley, Jimmy Arias, Sue Walsh, Liz Johnson, Craig Ramsay and Frank Layden. An online auction of sports memorabilia will take place as well as other features.
This year’s class and the schedule of their inductions:
Oct. 31 - Frank Hinkey, Tonawanda, a four-time All-America football player at Yale in the 19th century; Billy Kelly, Bergen, sports editor of the Buffalo Courier and Courier-Express for 50 years; Frank Mount Pleasant, Tuscarora Reservation, Lewiston, 1904 and 1908 Olympic jumper and a member of the American Indian Hall of Fame. Brown and Manto will be special program guests.
Nov. 7 - Charles Ackerly, Cuba, N.Y., 1920 Olympic wrestling gold medalist at 132 pounds and member of the Cornell University HOF; Ignatius "Iggy" Gronkowski, Buffalo, of the 1924 U.S. Olympic Cycling team who set five world records, and great-grandfather of NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski; Otto Roehm, Hamilton, Ont., 1904 Olympic wrestling gold medalist and professional wrestler. Arias and Talley will be special program guests.
Nov. 14 - Benny Bengough, Niagara Falls, catcher for the New York Yankees 1923-30 and longtime major league coach with the Philadelphia Phillies, attended Niagara University; James "Pud" Galvin, St. Louis, pitched six-plus major league seasons for Buffalo and was the sport's first 300-game winner, 1965 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee; Luke Urban, Fall River, Mass., end for the Buffalo All-Americans (1921-24) for whom he twice made All-NFL, football and basketball coach at Canisius College 1921-30, his football record was 46-27-7, his basketball record was 68-47. Walsh and Johnson will be special program guests.
Nov. 21 - Frank Berst, Buffalo, seven-time U.S. National Throw champion between 1941-50 and an All-American at Manhattan College; William Leuschner, Cookstown, Ont., a 1908 Olympic gold medalist in rifle and won silver and two bronze in 1912 Olympics; Frank Wright, South Wales, won team gold and individual bronze medals in trap shooting at the 1920 Olympics, member of the National Trapshooting HOF and eight times New York State champion. John Boutet and Mike Robitaille will help honor the Bisons on this show. The Bisons won seven championships including five Calder Cups and eight division championships. Robitaille played on the 1970 team. Layden and Ramsay will be special program guests.
For a complete list of items, and instructions on how to bid in the auction, visit www.GBSHOF.com.
