CFSM Press Releases

Florida Legends Set to Enter Florida Sports Hall of Fame

5/20/2008 -

Contact: Kris Keprios

Polk County Sports Marketing

kris@centralfloridasports.com

Phone 863-534-2527

For Immediate Release:

Eight Florida Legends Set to Enter Florida Sports Hall of Fame in August

Lakeland, FL (May 20, 2008) The state of Florida has no shortage of talent when it comes to the world of sports, and eight more legends will prove that point August 16 when they are inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. Former major-leaguer Tino Martinez, pro wrestler Hulk Hogan and three-time Super Bowl champion Michael Irvin are just three of the members of the star-studded class of 2007 and 2008. Five members will make up the Class of 2007 and include: sportswriter Bill Buchalter, Olympic track star Chandra Cheeseborough, Hogan, Irvin, and Martinez. The 2008 class will also be inducted on the same night and includes: Darryl Dawkins, Hubert Mizell and Otis Birdsong. "We have great inductees in these classes, and it's especially nice to have someone from Polk County (Otis Birdsong) in a year when the Hall of Fame is looking to locate its museum there" said Rick Dantzler, Chairman of the Hall of Fame Foundation Board. The Hall of Fame Board recently entered into a one year period of exclusive negotiation with Polk County Sports Marketing to bring the Hall of Fame to the new Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale. The Lake Myrtle Sports Complex is a 250 acre development five miles south of Interstate 4 along the Polk Parkway. At build out, the complex will include the Florida Youth Soccer Association headquarters, a USA Waterski competition site, and Russ Matt Baseball Spring Training events, as well as the headquarters for Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing, a visitor center and the Polk County Sports Hall of Fame. "This could be exactly what we have been looking for; a site with built in visitor traffic and a staff on site to help operate it,"said Dantzler. Dantzler also cited the centralized location of Polk County and the accessibility of the Lake Myrtle site from Interstate 4 and the Polk Parkway as major factors in the decision to house the Hall of Fame in Polk County. Construction on the sports complex will commence in July and the park will attract more than 100,000 athletes, spectators and officials annually.

The Florida Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremoney will be held Saturday, August 16 at Cypress Gardens Adventure Park. "Polk County is excited about hosting this prestigious event," said Mark Jackson, Director of Tourism and Sports Marketing for Polk County, “The eyes of Florida's sports world will be on Cypress Gardens and we are proud to host these sports legends in Polk County." For more information about the Florida Sports Hall of Fame Weekend, contact Polk County Sports Marketing at 863-534-2500.

About the class of 2007 and 2008:

2007 Class

Bill Buchalter was a sportswriter for more than 30 years with the Orlando Sentinel. He is a University of Florida graduate who primarily covered high school sports. He holds awards of distinction from the Florida Athletic Coaches Association, and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association, and he is a previous inductee in four Halls of Fame: Florida Track; Golden South Classic; Central Florida Sports; and Florida Citrus Sports.

Chandra Cheeseborough is a Jacksonville native and attended Ribault High School where she won the 100- and 200- yard state title from 1975-1977, setting national records in both. She won a silver medal in the 400 meters, and a history-setting gold medal in each of the women's 4x100 relays (400m and 1600m) at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 (both races were held less than one hour apart). She also won the golf medal in the 200 meters at the 1975 Pan American Games. Currently, she is planning to serve as an assistant track coach for the 2008 U.S. Olympic team and is a member of the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame.

Hulk Hogan is a Tampa native and is perhaps the most recognizable performer in pro wrestling history who also became a mainstream personality through his roles on television and movies - including a notable role as Thunderlips in ''Rocky III.'' Hogan was chiefly responsible for resurrecting professional wrestling in the 1980's and won the WWF's Wrestlemania in 1984 and won the title seven years in all. Known by his given name, Terry Bollea, he pitched Little League baseball, attended St. Petersburg Junior College and the University of South Florida, and wrestled his first professional match in Fort Pierce on Aug. 9, 1977.

Michael Irvin was most recently selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in February. Irvin attended high school in Fort Lauderdale, and helped lead the University of Miami to the 1987 national championship. He played professionally with Dallas, where he was an integral part of three Super Bowl championships, and set an NFL record with 11 games of 100 or more receiving yards.

Tino Martinez was a former Jefferson High standout and one of the top-fielding first basemen in Major League Baseball throughout the 1990's. He began his 16-year major-league career with the Seattle Mariners in 1990 and ended with the New York Yankees in 2005. His career also included stints with the St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Martinez was a two-time All-Star (1995 and 1997) and also helped lead the Yankees to World Series championships in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. He compiled a career batting average of .271 with 339 home runs and 1,271 RBIs.

2008 Class

Otis Birdsong led Winter Haven High School to the Class 4A state title in 1973, averaging 32 points per game. At the University of Houston, he was a consensus All-American in 1977 and led his team to a NIT runner-up finish. He was named the Southwest Conference Player of the Decade for the 1970's and went on to play in the NBA for the Kansas City Kings, New Jersey Nets and Boston Celtics. He scored more than 14,000 career points and was a four-time All-star.

Darryl Dawkins was a prep All American center at Maynard Evans High School in Orlando where he led the Trojans to the 1975 state championship. He was the first player to bypass college and enter the NBA draft, where he was taken by the Philadelphia 76ers later in 1975. “Chocolate Thunder", as he was often called, also played for the New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons before joining the Harlem Globetrotters. Dawkins went on to coach in the USBL and ABA.

Hubert Mizell has one of America's deepest, most spectacular resumes as a sports journalist. For more than 40 years, he wrote for large newspapers including the St. Petersburg Times and also served as a featured analyst for Associated Press based in Miami and New York. Born in Georgia, he was raised in Jacksonville. Hubert's list of assignments has been stunning, including 10 Olympics, 32 Super Bowls, 25 baseball World Series, 30 NCAA basketball Final Fours, 9 Wimbledon tennis championships, 22 Kentucky Derbies, 23 Daytona 500s, 25 different college football bowls and 40 Masters plus 50 other major golf championships. He was named national sports columnist of the year in 1982 from among America's largest newspapers and eight times was voted Florida Sports Writer of the Year. Mizell is a member of the College Basketball Writers Hall of Fame.

The current roster of Florida sports legends enshrined in the Florida Sports Hall of Fame includes:

A through C

Michelle Akers, Bobby Allison, Ottis Anderson, Don Aronow, Walter Lanier Barber, Rick Barry, Deane Beman, Patty Berg, Fred Biletnikoff, Otis Boggs, Tommy Bolt, Wade Boggs, Bobby Bowden, Julius Barrows, Scott Brantley, Pat Bradley, Lew Burdette, Nick Buoniconti, Norm Carlson, Steve Carlton, Joanne Carner, Jimmy Carnes, Don Carter, Gary Carter, Rick Casares, Charles Casey, Tracy Caulkins, Wes Chandler, Dean Chenoweth, Torchy Clark, Jerry Collins, Chris Collinsworth, Pete Cooper, Lee Course, Jim Courier, Dave Cowens, Gene Cox, Larry Csonka, Hugh Culverhouse, Fran Curci

D through H

Andre Dawson, Jim Dooley, Herb Dudley, Angelo Dundee, James Everett, Chris Evert, J.Rex Farrior, Forest Ferguson, Joe Fields, Don Flemming, Raymond Floyd, Ed Flynn, Bill France, Betty Skelton Frankman, Ron Fraser, Shirley Fry, Rowdy Gaines, Jake Gaither, Willie Galimore, Don Garlits, Steve Garvey, Ben Geraghty, Althea Gibson, Artis Gilmore, Laffayette G. Golden, Ray Graves, Curt Gowdy, Bob Griese, Peter Gregg, Andy Gustafson, Jack Harding, Doris Hart, Bill Hartack, "Bullet" Bob Hayes, Hurley Haywood, Ted Hendricks, Nash Higgins, Nancy Hogshead, Dick Howser, Marcelino Huerta, H. Wayne Huizenga, Fred Hutchinson

J through Q

Julian E. Jackson, Davey Johnson, Jimmy Johnson, Deacon Jones, Jim Kelly, Nick Kotys, Al Lang, Floyd E. Lay, Bernie Little, Larry Little, Pop Lloyd, Al Lopez, Dan Marino, Bob Masterson, Walter Mayberry, Dick Mayer, Tim McDowell, Jack McEwen, Bill McGrotha, Hal McRae, George Mira, Nat Moore, Perry Moss, Gardnar Mulloy, Bob Murphy, Needles, Jack Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Nugent, Stephen C. O'Connell, George R. Olsen, Charlie Owens, Dick Pace, Arnold Palmer, John Pennel, Newton Perry, Bill Peterson, Lou Piniella, Dick Pope, Jr., Dick Pope, Sr., Edwin Pope, Boog Powell, Paul Quinn

R through Z

Tim Raines, Jim Rathmann, Bobby Riggs, Ken Riley, Joe Robbie, Glenn Robert, Robin Roberts, Chi Chi Rodriguez, Al Rosen, Doug Sanders, Gene Sarazen, Herb Score, Earnie Seiler, Ron Sellers, Lee Roy Selmon, Rip Sewell, Frank Shorter, Don Shula, Hal Smeltzy, Freddie Solomon, Steve Spurrier, George Steinbrenner, Lyn St. James, Roger Strickland, Pat Summerall, Don Sutton, Charlie Tate, Zack Taylor, James Van Fleet, Dale Van Sickel, Don Vellwe, Dick Vitale, Don Wallen, Paul Warner, Paul Warfield, Glenn Wilkes, Ted Williams, Early Wynn, Garo Yepremian, Jack Youngblood.

(updated 5/27/08)