What do you get when an Olympian, a Super Bowl champion, a world-class golf teacher, a legendary running back, a multipurpose hockey star and seven other sporting luminaries come together?
The newest class of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.
The Hall announced a dozen inductees for the 2011 class this morning, with an introductory news conference set for 3 this afternoon in HSBC Arena. Former Bills All-Pro guard Ruben Brown and two-time Super Bowl champ Jim Burt of Orchard Park will give remarks on behalf of the class.
The other honorees are: Curtis Aiken, basketball standout for Bennett and the University of Pittsburgh; Don Colpoys, baseball player, coach and administrator; Jim Lorentz, longtime player and broadcaster for the Sabres; Phil Mankowski, major league baseball player; Steve Mesler, bobsled gold medalist at the 2010 Olympics; and Cindy Miller, golf professional and teacher.
Four others will join the Pride of Western New York, which honors deceased athletes: Cookie Gilchrist, Bills fullback; Lewis “Deerfoot” Bennett, a long-distance runner in the 1800s; Michael Broderick, a founder of the West Side Rowing Club; and William Morgan, credited with inventing volleyball.
The dozen members represent the 21st class inducted to the hall since its inception in 1991. The hall now has 240 members.
---John Vogl
