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ALEX RODRIGUEZ, RAY
ALLEN, BOB GRIESE, MIKE SMITH,
BRIAN BOITANO, AMY PURDY, NACHO FIGUERAS AND
CHRIS EVERT
TO BE HONORED AT BUONICONTI FUND’S 33ND ANNUAL
GREAT SPORTS LEGENDS DINNER SEPT. 24 IN NY
NBC Sports Bob Costas will Emcee; KC
and the Sunshine Band to perform
at New York Hilton Midtown Hotel.
New York, NY
- Alex Rodriguez is a World Series Champion
with the New York Yankees, one of the greatest professional
baseball players of all-time and the career record-holder
for grand slam home runs. Ray Allen is a basketball
legend and two-time NBA Champion who is being inducted into
the Naismith Hall of Fame in a few weeks and is the
record-holder for the most three-point shots made in NBA
playoff history. Bob Griese is a football Hall of
Fame quarterback from the only team to be undefeated for an
entire season, the 1972 Miami Dolphins and a two-time Super
Bowl Champion. Mike Smith is a Hall of Fame jockey
who recently rode Justify to the Triple Crown. Brian
Boitano won the Gold Medal in figure skating at the 1988
Winter Olympics as well as at the 1986 and 1988 World
Championships. Actress, author and motivational speaker Amy
Purdy is the most decorated US Paralympic Snowboarder
winning three medals in the past two Winter Games in Sochi
and PyeongChang. While they have all excelled at their
respective sports, they now join a singular superstar
group. Indeed, these iconic sports professionals, Hall of
Famers, Gold Medalists, World Champions, and boldface names
will be honored by The
Buoniconti Fund at its 33nd Annual
Great Sports Legends Dinner on Monday, September 24 at
The New York Hilton Midtown Hotel.
In addition to the Sports Legends, two special awards will
be given: Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras, a prodigious
philanthropist, top male model and one of the greatest polo
players of all time, will receive The Buoniconti Fund’s 2018
Philanthropist Award. And Chris Evert, a noted
humanitarian and tennis Hall of Famer who won 18 Grand Slam
Singles Championships and three Grand Slam Doubles
Championships, will be conferred The Buoniconti Fund’s 2018
Humanitarian Award.
The evening is hosted by NFL Hall of Famer Nick
Buoniconti and his son Marc, chaired by Mark
Dalton, and emceed by NBC Sports personality Bob
Costas. The renowned Grammy Award-winning disco and
funk groupKC and the Sunshine Band, whose numerous
hits include "That's
the Way (I Like It),"
"(Shake,
Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty,"
and "I'm
Your Boogie Man,” is the featured
entertainment.
The dinner serves to benefit The
Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis,
the fundraising arm of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.
The Miami Project, a designated Center of Excellence at the
University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, is the
world’s most comprehensive spinal cord injury research
center.
Since its inception in 1985, the Great Sports Legends Dinner
has honored more than 350 sports legends and humanitarians
and has raised more than $100 million for The Miami
Project's spinal cord injury research programs. The Miami
Project-Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis is committed to
finding a cure for paralysis resulting from spinal cord
injury and to seeing millions worldwide walk again.
The dinner, presented by the Tudor Group, annually attracts
a veritable “Who’s Who” of more than 1,500 sports legends,
celebrities, philanthropists, corporate leaders and other
influential New Yorkers. The evening includes a spectacular
auction featuring one of a kind sports items, spectacular
jewelry, the latest electronics, and a Kidz Korner.
Benefactors include; Tudor Group, Carnival Corporation &
plc, Carnival Foundation, Reid Mack and the R&B Company,
Tiffany & Co., HBO Sports, BartonG and Scythian
Biosciences Inc., a Division of SOL GLOBAL INVESTMENTS CORP.
“For over 32 years the Great Sports Legend Dinner has
supported a singular essential mission, finding a cure for
paralysis,” said Marc Buoniconti. “On the way, the event has
raised funds and awareness for ground-breaking, much-needed
spinal cord injury research, as well as cutting-edge
treatment and service programs. We’re honored to have the
generosity and participation of so many iconic athletes and
heroes who join us in providing hope for those living with
paralysis, so together we can stand as one.”
"Sports Legends Alumni" include Muhammad Ali, Willie Mays,
Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Tony Hawk, Cal Ripken, Jr., Gloria
Estefan, Jack Nicklaus, Wayne Gretzky, George Foreman, Julio
Iglesias, Helio Castroneves, Troy Aikman, Joe DiMaggio,
Mario Andretti, Joe Namath, Pedro Martinez, Hakeem Olajuwon,
Dan Marino, Mike Piazza, Pat Riley, Grant Hill, Bill Cowher,
Kelly Slater, Joe Torre, Venus Williams, Michael Jordan,
Simone Biles, Abby Wambach, and many other athletes and
heroes – all of whom recognize that paralyzing injuries can
and do occur in the pursuit of athletic careers and everyday
lives.
The 33nd Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner
begins at 5:30 PM at the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel, 1335
6th Ave, New York City. Tickets start at $850 per
person and can be purchased by phone at (305)-243-4656 or http://www.thebuonicontifund.com/GSLD.
For more information about The Buoniconti
Fund, please visit: www.thebuonicontifund.com.
To take part in the conversation on social media follow
us at facebook.com/cureparalysis, or Twitter and
Instagram @BuonicontiFund using hashtags #SportsLegendsDinner and #CureParalysis.
About The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and
The Buoniconti Fund: The
Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a Center of Excellence at
the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, is
considered the premier investigative research program
conducting cutting edge discovery, translational, and
clinical investigations targeting spinal cord and brain
injuries. The Miami Project’s international team includes
more than 200 scientists, researchers, clinicians, and
support staff who take innovative approaches to the
challenges of spinal cord and brain injuries.
The Miami Project’s clinical trial program currently
includes autologous Schwann cell transplantation,
therapeutic hypothermia, Riluzole, deep brain stimulation,
and brain machine interface. Our discovery program is
investigating immune modulation, scar formation, and
regeneration mechanisms after injury to better enable
development of future interventions. 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. Since then research at The Miami
Project has changed the landscape of knowledge and
therapeutic strategies for spinal cord injury and traumatic
brain 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.
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