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The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, the
fundraising arm of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, will
host its 27th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner at the
Waldorf=Astoria on Monday, September 24, 2012. NBC Sports
Icon Bob Costas will once again return as Master of
Ceremonies, hosting the dinner which pays tribute to
philanthropic heroes and sports legends that inspire and
motivate those affected by spinal cord injuries. The much
anticipated event will assemble celebrities and corporate
leaders to support the efforts of the Buoniconti Family,
along with their numerous longtime supporters.
The star-studded event promises to be an unforgettable
evening, as the 2012 Great Sports Legends are honored.
Legends honorees include:
* Shaquille O'Neal, Four-time NBA Championship winner and
one of the NBA?s 50 Greatest Players; leading the Los
Angeles Lakers to three consecutive championships and a
fourth championship with the Miami Heat, O'Neal is one of
the NBA's most accomplished players;
* Joe Torre, Celebrated manager of the
Yankees, who led the team to four World Series titles;
two-time American League Manager of the year and Executive
Vice President of Baseball Operations for Major League
Baseball;
* Marshall Faulk, National Football League Hall of Fame
inductee, Three-time Offensive Player of the Year and led
the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl Championship and was
named NFL MVP in 2000 and 10th leading rusher in NFL
history;
* Tony Perez, Major League Baseball Hall of Fame member,
whose number 24 was retired by the Cincinnati Reds in 2000
and two-time World Series Winner;
*Mark Martin, NASCAR stock car driver in the Sprint Cup Series; named to
the franchise list of ?50 Greatest Drivers of All Time,?
with 40 wins and 443 top tens;
* Lorena Ochoa, Named LPGA's #1 female golfer from 2007 to
2010 and since 1989, Ochoa has won 129 local, national and
international titles, including 27 LPGA events. Lorena is
considered Mexico's best golfer of all time;
*Jake LaMotta, International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee
recognized as one of the 10 greatest middleweights of all
time. Nicknamed "The Raging Bull," the World Middleweight
Champion was portrayed by Robert De Niro in the 1980 film
Raging Bull.
*Lisa Leslie, Three-time WNBA MVP, leading the Los Angeles
Sparks to a WNBA Championship; first team sport athlete to
win four consecutive Olympic Gold Medals;
Famed NBA Player and NBA Championship Winner, Alonzo
Mourning, will be presented with The Buoniconti Fund Award
and Grammy Award Winning Musician and Producer, Emilio
Estefan, will be honored with The Outstanding Business
Leader Award.
Held in the illustrious Grand Ballroom at the
Waldorf= Astoria, the much anticipated event is not only
expected to sell out, but also raise millions of dollars for
the spinal cord injury research programs at The Miami
Project to Cure Paralysis. The evening will begin with
cocktails, Tiffany & Co.'s Mystery Blue Box Wall and a Buy
It Now Store where attendees can purchase one-of-a-kind
sports memorabilia, amazing jewelry, spectacular getaways, a
unique Kidz Korner and other exclusive items. The dinner
program will feature a celebrity concert performance by
legendary musicians, Earth, Wind & Fire. There will be a
live auction boasting travel and entertainment packages,
sports and music memorabilia, and experiences including the
opportunity to golf with the greatest golfer of all time,
Jack Nicklaus, all prior to the presentation of the
evening's awards.
Since its inception in 1985, the Great Sports Legends Dinner
has honored more than 283 sports legends and honorees and
has raised more than $75 million for The Miami Project's
spinal cord injury research programs.
"We are extremely honored to have so
many legendary athletes, celebrities, corporate leaders and
other influential figures on our side when it comes to
raising awareness and funds to support finding a cure for
paralysis," says Nick Buoniconti, Founder of The Buoniconti
Fund. ?Not only within the realm of sports do we see spinal
cord injuries. Millions of people worldwide have suffered
spinal cord injuries, leading to paralysis. Our biggest hope
through The Buoniconti Fund and The Miami Project to Cure
Paralysis is that soon we will make medical history by
finding a cure for paralysis."
Past Great Sports Legends and Honorees include: Michael
Jordan, Lance Armstrong, Muhammad Ali, Magic Johnson, Dan
Marino, Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Wayne Gretzky, Jack
Nicklaus, Nancy Kerrigan, John Elway, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,
Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Mickey Mantle, Tony Hawk,
Dorothy Hamill, Evander Holyfield, Jerry Rice, Lennox Lewis,
Andre Agassi, Cal Ripken, Gloria Estefan, Walter Cronkite,
Bill Parcells and many more.
Tickets start at $850 per person and can be purchased by
phone at (305)-243-4656 or
http://www.thebuonicontifund.com/GSLD . Sponsorships and
opportunities to sit with legends are available. For more
information about The Buoniconti Fund, please visit:
www.thebuonicontifund.com , Facebook, or Twitter.
About The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and
The Buoniconti Fund:
In 1985, Barth A. Green, M.D. and NFL Hall of Fame
linebacker Nick Buoniconti helped found The Miami Project to
Cure Paralysis after Nick's son, Marc, sustained a spinal
cord injury during a college football game. Today, The Miami
Project, a Center of Excellence at the University of Miami
Miller School of Medicine, is the world's most comprehensive
spinal cord injury research center and is housed in the Lois
Pope LIFE Center. The Miami Project's international team of
more than 250 scientists, researchers and clinicians take
innovative approaches to the challenge of spinal cord
injury. Committed to finding a cure for paralysis resulting
from spinal cord injury and to seeing millions worldwide
walk again, the Buoniconti family established The Buoniconti
Fund to Cure Paralysis in 1992, a non-profit organization
devoted to assisting The Miami Project achieve its national
and international goals. For more information, please visit:
www.thebuonicontifund.com .
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