CLEVELAND (August 25, 2022) – The 2022 Class of the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame includes a Cleveland Browns legend, an Olympic Gold Medalist, a Hall of Fame volleyball coach, and a baseball voice we all cherish.
BERNIE KOSAR, KATIE NAGEOTTE, CAROL RUSSO and TOM HAMILTON will be inducted on Tuesday, October 18 at the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Tower presented by Union Home Mortgage and supported by Discount Drug Mart, it was announced today by GCSHOF President Bob DiBiasio.
In addition, the GCSHOF will present grant funding to two youth sports organizations in the Greater Cleveland area through its Jack Herrick Youth Sports Fund.
The Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame tells the story of discipline, commitment, perseverance, and excellence in achievement. The GCSHOF encourages and inspires those who believe in the importance of sport and its direct impact on the well-being of our community.
The Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame celebrates star athletes and notable sports figures who are born and or raised in Greater Cleveland or have made their home in our region. Nominations are accepted from an eight-county area, including Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Ashtabula, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit.
BERNIE KOSAR
Bernie remains one of the most beloved sports figures in Cleveland history. Raised in Boardman, OH where he was a standout high school player, Kosar considered himself a “Cleveland guy” and worked with then-owner Art Modell to make his dream come true to play in a Cleveland Browns uniform. Graduating a year early from the University of Miami, Kosar and Modell used the NFL’s Supplemental Draft to bring him home and lead the Browns on the field at old Municipal Stadium. Kosar guided the Browns to three AFC Championship Games in nine seasons as quarterback. He ranks second in Browns history with 21,904 passing yards, completing 58.8 percent of his passes with 116 touchdowns and 81 interceptions.
Three times during his tenure with the Browns Kosar set records for most consecutive passes without an interception (286, 308 and 308). He took the franchise to the playoffs five times and threw for 489 yards in an overtime win over the NY Jets in 1987. He won a NCAA National Championship in his first season as the Miami Hurricanes’ starting QB, a thrilling Orange Bowl win over unbeaten and top-ranked Nebraska. Won a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Dalles Cowboys in 1993.
KATIE NAGEOTTE
Katie is the reigning Olympic gold medalist in the pole vault and only the third woman to win pole vault gold for the United States. She grew up in Olmsted Falls and attended Olmsted Falls High School and Ashland University (after spending her first two years at Dayton). Nageotte won the Gold in her first Olympics with a vault of 16 feet, 0-3/4 inches (4.9 meters) at the COVID-delayed games in 2021 in Tokyo. This year she won the World Championships with a vault of 15-11and last year finished first in the Olympic Trials at 16-3. With hopes of competing in the Paris Olympics in 2024, she would have the chance to become the second women ever to win consecutive gold medals in the pole vault.
Nageotte started competing in the pole vault in the seventh grade as Olympic sports always intrigued her, especially those involving adrenaline and upper body strength. She competed in gymnastics, and thought that may be her path, but grew to love the pole vault when she competed for her middle school track team. As a high school senior, she was the 2009 OHSAA Division I champion. Nageotte won two NCAA Division II titles and was a three-time Division II All-American. She won gold at the 2018 U.S. Indoor Championships, silver at the 2019 U.S. Outdoor, gold at the ’19 U.S. Indoors and silver at the ’19 Indoor Championships. COVID knocked her back in 2020, but she persevered to break an Olympic Trials record in July of 2021 before going to capture gold in Tokyo.
CAROL RUSSO
Thanks to her passion, dedication and commitment, volleyball was Elyria High School’s most consistently successful sport over a two-decade period. It was Carol Russo’s coaching and organizational prowess that boosted the Pioneers among the state’s most elite and respected programs. In 1996, the Pioneers posted a 28-1 record and became the first Elyria volleyball team to win a state semi-final game and play for the state championship. It was Russo’s third team to reach the state tournament. In addition to the state tournament runs, Russo’s teams won the district championships 14 times, and 18 conference titles across four leagues (Buckeye, Erie Shore, Lake Erie and Pioneer).
In 27 years as a head volleyball coach, beginning her career at Mayfield and ending at Elyria Catholic, Russo posted a career record of 575-126. She won 20 or more games 20 times during her career. She was inducted into the Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1998, Elyria Sports Hall of Fame in 1999, and selected to the prestigious AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) Hall of Fame in 2012. Russo played volleyball for her mother, Sue, at Oberlin High School as well at The Ohio State University. Carol and her mother, Sue, were the first mother-daughter combination to coach teams in the Ohio state tournament.
TOM HAMILTON
2022 marked the 33rd season of calling Cleveland Guardians baseball games on the radio for the Waterloo, WI native. Since he joined Herb Score in the radio booth in 1990, Hamilton has called all 94 postseason games the Cleveland franchise has played in that span, including three World Series (1995, 1997 and 2016). His 33-year tenure is tied with Rick Manning on TV, and the second longest in franchise history next to Score (34 years). Tom, joined in the radio booth with Jim Rosenhaus, calls the action and commentary for all 162 regular season games and 15 spring training contests on Newsradio WTAM 1100, 100.7FM WMMS and the 30-station Cleveland Clinic Guardians Radio Network.
Tom arrived in Cleveland after three seasons calling AAA Columbus Clippers action, the top farm club of the New York Yankees (1987-89). Started his broadcasting career calling minor league games across Wisconsin, as well as University of Wisconsin football games and University of Colorado basketball games. Tom called Big Ten basketball on television for 25 years. Is a member of the Press Club of Cleveland’s Hall of Fame and is a seven-time recipient of the Ohio Sportscaster of the Year Award (1997, 2000, ’01, ’04, ’06, ’13, and ’16).
GREATER CLEVELAND SPORTS HALL OF FAME
ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR
JACK HERRICK YOUTH SPORTS GRANT FUNDING
The accomplishments and stories of the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame inductees provide inspiration for young athletes to pursue their dreams in sport. The GCSHOF fosters those dreams by providing grant funding to qualified youth sports organizations in the Greater Cleveland area.
Interested youth sports organization seeking grant funding should go the GCSHOF website www.clevelandsportshall.com to apply. Deadline for application is Friday, September 9, 2022.
The Jack Herrick Youth Sports Fund honors the legacy of leadership of Jack Herrick, GCSHOF Class of 1986, and Chairman of the Board for more than twenty years.
RESERVE YOUR TABLE FOR THE CLASS OF 2022 INDUCTION CEREMONY AND JACK HERRICK YOUTH SPORTS FUND GRANT RECIPENTS PRESENTATION –- PRESENTED BY UNION HOME MORTGAGE AND SUPPORTED BY DISCOUNT DRUG MART
EVENT DATE: Tuesday, October 18, 2022 – 7pm
EVENT SITE: Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Tower
TABLE COST: $2,000 for a table of 10, includes a half-page ad in the Class of 2022 Induction Dinner Program
Reserve your table now
- Call the GCSHOF office at 216-241-1919
- Email: admin@clevelandsportshall.com
- Complete reservation form on www.clevelandsportshall.com