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$6.3 Million Raised for Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis

Cash for your car

Troy Ackerman, Dana Torres, Brett Hull

All-star athletes to heroic astronauts to business leaders along side 1,300 others guests were hosted by NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti for the 24th Annual Great Sports Dinner to benefit the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis.  Together, uniting their powerful resources, they raised more than $6.3 million to help find a cure for paralysis. An additional $10 million was also pledged by an anonymous donor to fund the human clinical trials initiative at The Miami Project.

Olympic swimmer Dana Torres, Marc Buoniconti, and Mike Piazza.

Olympic swimmer Dana Torres, Marc Buoniconti, and Mike Piazza.

Sport Legend Honorees
At the 24th Annual Great Sports Dinner, which too place at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City on October 6th, 2009, the 2009 Great Sports Legend honorees were Troy Aikman, Clyde Drexler, Mike Piazza, Ivan Lendl, Rusty Wallace, Brett Hull, Dara Torres, Pat Day and Chris Waddell.   Sports broadcaster Bob Costas returned as Master of Ceremonies and Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin made a special appearance.

Apollo 11's Buzz Aldrin and honoree Chris Waddell.

Apollo 11's Buzz Aldrin and honoree Chris Waddell.

Other Honorees were President, CEO and sole owner Kinray Stewart Rahr who received the 2009 Outstanding Philanthropist Award; Chairman Emerita of TotalBank, Adrienne Arsht who received The Buoniconti Fund Award;  Managing Director, Allen & Company, Chairman of The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, Jack Schneider who received The Barth A. Green Spirit Award;  and Writer, African-American activist and educator, Dr. Maya Angelou who received the Buoniconti Fund Humanitarian Award.

“It’s always a thrill to be in the presence of such legends and leaders in the sports and business arena.  The support that we continue to receive year after year is astounding and validates the work we are doing as significant and meaningful.  I look forward to when we can walk side by side with those who are paralyzed by spinal cord injury.  We all know that this can happen to any one of us, which is why we need to stay focused on a finding a cure,”
says Nick Buoniconti, founder of The Buoniconti Fund.

Dr. Maya Angelou receiving the Buoniconti Humanitarian Award.

Dr. Maya Angelou receiving the Buoniconti Humanitarian Award.

 

Legendary Fundraising
The Great Sports Legends Dinner honors an All-Star roster of athletes who have been recognized for their outstanding athletic achievements and have helped raise millions of dollars for the spinal cord injury research programs at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.  The dinner has become known for uniting individuals from the sports, business and entertainment industries and this year’s event was again a sell out with the capacity crowd enjoying a moving and inspirational program. The live auction was an exciting moment of the evening with six-figure bids for several dream packages, including golfing with Jack Nicklaus and a Dream Hawaiian Vacation.

Honoree Troy Aikman, Marc and his dad, Nick Buoniconti.

Honoree Troy Aikman, Marc and his dad, Nick Buoniconti.

MVP Guest List

Other notables in attendance included NFL NY Giants Hall of Famer Harry Carson, Sportscaster from CBS Lesley Visser,  Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, New York Knicks player David Lee, 1968 Olympic Long Jump Medalist Bob Beamon, 10 x Olympic Medalist in Swimming Gary Hall, Jr, Crystal Hunt and Kristen Alderman from ABC’s One Life to Live, Vincent Piazza from HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, Boston Celtics Hall of Famer John Havlicek,  Former Knicks player John Starks, MLB Great Rusty Staub, Captain of the 1980 Miracle on Ice Team Mike Eruzione, Former Miami Dolphin Earl Morrall, NY Giants Great Brian Kelley,  Former Miami Dolphin Nat Moore, Former MLB Player with the Mets and Yankees Phil Linz, Former Miami Dolphin Tommy Vigorito, Former Miami Dolphin Dick Anderson, NYC Sports Commissioner Ken Podziba, NY Jets Linebacker Greg Buttle, Former Race Car Driver Brendan Gaughan, Former Bills player Leo Hart, Former Jets players Richard Caster and Greg Murphy,  and many others.

NASCAR past champion Rusty Wallace signs autographs at the cocktail reception at The 24th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner.

NASCAR past champion Rusty Wallace signs autographs at the cocktail reception at The 24th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner.

Great Sports Legend History

Over the course of the past twenty-three years, the Great Sports Legends Dinner has honored 253 of the world’s greatest athletes and individuals. They are recognized for their contributions to the world of sports and acknowledged for their commitment to high ethical standards, dedication to their community, worthy causes and achievements as positive role models.

Honorees at Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis

2009's honorees at the 24th Great Sports Legends Dinner.

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. Today, The Miami Project is the world’s largest, most comprehensive spinal cord injury research center and is housed in the Lois Pope LIFE Center at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine. The Miami Project’s international team of over 200 scientists and clinicians take innovative approaches to the challenge of spinal cord injury.

Buoniconti’s Vision

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.  The Buoniconti Fund serves as the national fundraising arm of The Miami Project. It is designed to complement the scientific accomplishments of The Miami Project by generating funds and high levels of awareness.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

About the author

Lanee Neil