Fish with Canes Greats at UMSHoF Tourney
Excitement is mounting as the date approaches for the 5th annual Habitat for Humanity of the Upper Keys / University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame Celebrity Dolphin Tournament, presented by Yamaha and Caribee Boat Sales.
The tournament, held June 26 and 27 at Founders Park, has become one of the largest events in the Florida Keys. It offers participants and the general public an exciting weekend of great parties, dozens of celebrities, auctions, prizes, live music and more. This year’s tournament will be co-hosted by University of Miami Hall of Famers and football greats, Randal Hill and Andre Johnson.
“It’s an honor to host an event that has such a powerful draw and impact on the community”, said Randal Hill. “I can’t wait to get back down to the Keys and compete with my friends.”
“I’m so excited to continue the tradition of great Canes hosting this event,” Andre Johnson added. “I’m looking forward to reconnecting with Canes fans and all my former teammates. We are all about the U!”
Whether you are fishing or not, anyone can enjoy all the festivities and mingle with University of Miami sports greats and NFL Hall of Famers. The event offers something for everyone and is the only fishing event of its kind that matches participants with former Miami Hurricanes sports stars for the competition.
Some of the Former Hurricanes sports stars scheduled to participate include NFL Hall of Famer and 2012 tournament host Warren Sapp (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oakland Raiders), NFL Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks (Baltimore Colts, Green Bay Packers, Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders), Clinton Portis (Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins), Brett Romberg (Jacksonville Jaguars, St. Louis Rams, Atlanta Falcons), Gary Dunn (Pittsburgh Steelers), Damione Lewis (St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, Houston Texans), and 1992 Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta (Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts).
The event is open to the public and social tickets are available for both Friday and Saturday’s parties. If you are fishing, entry into the tournament is only $600 for four anglers. The entry fee gets each angler an official tournament shirt, bag filled with gifts and tickets for food and drinks throughout the weekend. Additional anglers can register for $125.
The event begins Friday evening at 5 p.m. at Founders Park with a kick-off party, final boat registration, live music from the “Live Bait Band”, silent auction and captains’ meeting with a paella dinner from Segovia Catering. Saturday is the tournament’s fishing competition with a $3,000 top boat prize. There are also additional cash prizes and trophies presented to anglers in eight categories.
After fishing, the celebrations start back up at Founders Park at 3:30 p.m. where there will be free kids fishing clinics, appetizers from Hole-in-the-Wall Sports Bar, cold drinks from Islamorada Beer and more. The party will continue into the evening with a Caribbean Pig Roast catered by Mangrove Mike’s Café, music and live and silent auctions.
Most importantly, the tournament benefits a variety of local charities including Habitat for Humanity of the Upper Keys, The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, Coastal Conservation Association and the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame.
“Caribee Boat Sales is proud to be presenting a sponsor along with our partner Yamaha Motor Corp. of the 2015 University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame Celebrity Dolphin Tournament”, said Bill Gilbert, President of Caribee Boat Sales and Marina. “It is great to be able to help honor the student-athletes who have been part of the athletic tradition of The U while supporting some very worthwhile charitable organizations.”
“Habitat for Humanity of the Upper Keys couldn’t have a better partner than Caribee Boat Sales in conjunction with Yamaha for this year’s tournament,” Jack Niedbalski from Habitat for Humanity of the Upper Keys added. “With their support and the support of many others, this should be a great tournament for everyone in the Keys.”
Mark your calendars and make your way out to this unique and exciting event. For more information about the event visit www.canesfish.com where you can find the schedule of events for the weekend, entry forms and more. The public can also call 305-667-0399.
