UMSHoF Holds 25th Anniversary Celebration
The University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame marked the 25th Anniversary of the Grand Opening of the Tom Kearns Sports Hall of Fame Building with a reception on Monday, August 25th attended by UM President Donna Shalala, Athletic Director Blake James and Sebastian the Ibis, along with more than two dozen UMSHoF members and 12 UM head coaches among the nearly 200 guests.
A ribbon cutting ceremony was held to “usher in the next 25 years for the UM Sports Hall of Fame,” said UMSHoF Executive Director John Routh. Participating in the ceremony were Judge John Gale, instrumental in the founding of the Hall, President Shalala, AD Blake James, UMSHoF President KC Jones, past president Larry Wilson and 2014 inductee Wyllesheia Myrick, who represented all the past Hall of Fame inductees.
The evening featured check presentations from UMSHoF President KC Jones to Jack Niedbalski of Habitat for Humanity of the Upper Keys and to Marc Buoniconti of the Buoniconti Fund, donations from the proceeds of the 4th Annual UMSHoF Celebrity Dolphin Tournament. In addition, UMSHoF President-Elect and Bowling Chairman Gerard Loisel presented a check to Mr. Buoniconti from the proceeds of the 4th Annual UMSHoF Celebrity Bowling Tournament.
Tom Kearns, a UMSHoF member as a football star of the early 1940’s, was the major benefactor for the construction of the building, which was named in his honor. Mr. Kearns bestowed the generous gift because of his strong desire to preserve the memory of his fellow student-athletes who laid the foundation for the present and future of UM athletics.
“To let all that tradition go down the drain would be a terrible thing,” said Mr. Kearns at the dedication of the building. “In another 30 years, all those artifacts would have been gone. If we didn’t build a Hall of Fame, those people might long be forgotten.”
Mr. Kearns was a member of the University of Miami Board of Trustees and Iron Arrow, the University’s highest honor, and was inducted into the UMSHoF in 1970. He passed away in 2007 at the age of 88.
The building, located next to the Hecht Athletic Center on the Coral Gables campus, houses thousands of artifacts and memorabilia from more than 85 years of Hurricanes athletics, and is open free to the public from Noon to 5 p.m. weekdays. Only 282 former student-athletes, coaches and administrators have been honored by induction into the UM Sports Hall of Fame. Each year, the Hall holds its annual induction banquet in the spring, along with the newer events, the fishing tournament in June, the bowling tournament in February, and a golf tournament to raise funds for its operations, and to donate to local charities. The 22nd Annual UMSHoF Celebrity Golf Tournament will be held on Friday, October 10 at the beautiful Biltmore Golf Course in Coral Gables. For information on sponsorships and team entries, call 305-284-2775.
