CHICAGO -The Chicagoland Hall of Fame today introduced the Class of 2016 as well as the rejuvenation of the Annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. “We’re very excited to be presenting the Hall of Fame Dinner this year at McCormick Place and very proud to bestow the Ray Meyer Award on NCAA Champion Coach Jay Wright of The Villanova Wildcats,” said Charlie Carey, President of the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame.

​Wright recently led Villanova to the “buzzer beater for the ages” with his victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels. Under his direction, the Wildcats have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 11 of the last 12 seasons. The annual Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fane Induction dinner takes place this year for the first time on Chicago’s majestic lakefront at McCormick Place on Wednesday, Sept. 7th at 7PM.

The Hall of Fame will also be inducting a pair of Chicago baseball legends: Carlton Fisk of The White Sox and Ryne Sandburg of The Cubs. Notre Dame legend and Super Bowl Champ with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jerome Bettis, will receive the Gale Sayers Award; Blackhawks great Denis Savard will receive The Stan Mikita Award, and Green Bay Packer and Western Illinois Leatherneck Frank Winters will be honored with the George Connor Award. Former Chicago Bear and 7-time Pro Bowler Lance Briggs is also being inducted.

Other inductees from the world of hoops include Simeon, Illini, and Orlando Magic stalwart Nick Anderson and Proviso East, Minnesota Gopher and Cleveland Cavaliers legend Jim Brewer.

DePaul Head Volleyball Coach and Lincolnway East star Nadia Edwards and former St. Laurence, and Andrew HS football coach Mike O’Neill are also being inducted.

Also set for honors are the “voice of the Chicago Bulls” Chuck Swirsky, accepting the media award, and special recognition of Don Wilson, Chairman of Chicago’s America Cup World Series, Pat Ryan, Chairman of Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid, and the late Mt. Carmel coach and longtime Hall of Fame advocate Howie Fagan.

Fox News sportscaster Corey McPherrin returns as emcee of the induction dinner. The event benefits the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame Charities, a 501c3 tax-exempt organization in Illinois honoring those who have distinguished themselves through their contribution to sports. Individual tickets are $150 each and tables of ten are available. VIP cocktails are from 5:30-6:30PM with dinner and induction starting at 7PM on Wednesday Sept. 7th at McCormick Place West, 2301 South Indiana Ave, Chicago, 60016.

For more information or to purchase tickets click here or call 312-341-3410.

Patrick G. Ryan and Donald R Wilson Jr. to be honored at the 2016 Chicagoland Hall of Fame Dinner
​
CHICAGO- This year the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame will present awards to two additional honorees at the 20th Anniversary Dinner on September 7, 2016. Patrick G. Ryan will be honored with the Chicago Sports Lifetime Achievement Award and Donald R. Wilson Jr. will be honored with the 2016 Chicago Sports Advocate of the Year Award.

A longtime sports advocate, Patrick G. Ryan, served as Chairman for the Chicago 2016 Olympic and Paralympics Bid Committee. He is a major benefactor to Northwestern University and a longtime supporter of its Athletic Department, and in 2013, Mr. Ryan was inducted into the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame. Since 1990, Mr. Ryan has been a minority owner of the Chicago Bears. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of World Sport Chicago, the legacy organization of the 2016 Bid Committee.

Don Wilson, an avid sailor, served as chairman of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Chicago. He was instrumental in bringing an America's Cup qualifying event in June 2016 to Chicago's Navy Pier – the first freshwater venue in America's Cup history. The new Chicago Sports Advocate of the Year Award is presented to Don because of his leadership and determination to put Chicago on the forefront of the sailing world.

Fox News sportscaster Corey McPherrin returns as emcee of the induction dinner. The event benefits the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame Charities, a 501c3 tax-exempt organization in Illinois honoring those who have distinguished themselves through their contribution to sports. VIP cocktails are from 5:30-6:30PM with dinner and induction starting at 7PM on Wednesday Sept. 7th at McCormick Place West, 2301 South Indiana Ave, Chicago, 60616.

For more information and to purchase sponsorship, please go to our website  or call 312-341-3410.

View the announcement for the introduction of the Class of 2016 here. 

Patrick G. Ryan, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Ryan Specialty Group, LLC 
Chicago Sports Lifetime Achievement Award  

A widely respected entrepreneur and global insurance leader, Patrick G. Ryan formed Ryan Specialty Group, LLC (RSG) in 2010. RSG is a global holding company which includes wholesale brokerage, highly specialized underwriting companies and specialty services designed for brokers, agents and insurers. The company has offices across North America and Europe.  Prior to launching RSG, Mr. Ryan founded Aon Corporation and served as its Chairman and CEO for 41 years. At Mr. Ryan's retirement, Aon had more than 500 offices in 120 countries, generating revenues then in excess of $7 billion.  

Mr. Ryan has received a number of accolades throughout his career. In 1987, Mr. Ryan received the esteemed Horatio AlgerAward which honors those who are dedicated to the principles of integrity, hard work, perseverance and compassion for others. In 2008, Mr. Ryan was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the nation's oldest and most prestigious honorary societies and independent research centers, founded in 1780. Also in 2008, he was elected to the International Insurance Society Hall of Fame and received the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award. He was named by Brigham Young University International Executive of the Year for Corporate Integrity. Other career tributes include Insurance Leader of the Year, College of Insurance, and the Insurance Federation of New York's Free Enterprise Award.

Mr. Ryan has been a member of the Northwestern University's Board of Trustees for 37 years, 14 years of which he served as Chairman. In 2009, Northwestern awarded Mr. Ryan a Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Four years later in 2013, Mr. Ryan received the Northwestern Alumni Association Medal of Honor. This award is the highest award granted by the Northwestern Alumni Association to an alumnus/a who combines superior professional distinction and/or exemplary volunteer service to society, with an outstanding record of service to Northwestern. He also was inducted that year into the Northwestern Athletic Hall of Fame.  

Mr. Ryan has received numerous Insurance and Community awards and also served as Chairman of the Chicago 2016 Olympic and Paralympics Bid Committee. Additionally, Mr. Ryan serves as Chairman of the Board of World Sport Chicago, the legacy organization of the 2016 Bid Committee.

Donald R. Wilson, Jr., Chicago Sports Advocate of the Year, 2016

Don Wilson founded the Chicago Match Race Center in 2009 to bring world-class match race sailing to shores of Lake Michigan.Chicago quickly became one of the world's top training and competition centers for up-and-coming match racing and Olympic sailing talent. With a strong foundation for stadium sailing in place, the Windy City caught the attention of America's Cup organizers. As chairman of the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Chicago, Mr. Wilson was instrumental in bringing an America's Cup qualifying event to the city's Navy Pier in June 2016 – the first freshwater venue in America's Cup history. The event further raised the profile of competitive sailing in Chicago and leaves a legacy through Endeavour Chicago, a community boating and educational initiative for the city's youth.

An avid sailor himself, Mr. Wilson has earned prestigious match race victories, including the 2010 & 2011 Richardson Trophy and 2010 Canada's Cup. Mr. Wilson and his Convexity Racing Team have applied these skills in fleet racing as well, winning many local contests and two national championships.

Outside of competitive sailing, Mr. Wilson is a longtime Chicago business owner and influential leader in the financial futures industry. He is founder and CEO of DRW, a principal trading and real estate development firm with more than 700 employees inChicago, London, Montreal, New York, San Francisco and Singapore. He is also co-founder and board member of two other innovative companies in the financial industry, Eris Exchange and Digital Asset Holdings.

Mr. Wilson holds an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Chicago, where he is now a trustee.  He also sits on the board of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Foundation. He lives with his four children in Chicago.

CHICAGO -The Chicagoland Hall of Fame today introduced the Class of 2016 as well as the rejuvenation of the Annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.  “We’re very excited to be presenting the Hall of Fame Dinner this year at McCormick Place and very proud to bestow the Ray Meyer Award on NCAA Champion Coach Jay Wright of The Villanova Wildcats,” said Charlie Carey, President of the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame. 

​Wright recently led Villanova to the “buzzer beater for the ages” with his victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels. Under his direction, the Wildcats have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 11 of the last 12 seasons. The annual Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fane Induction dinner takes place this year for the first time on Chicago’s majestic lakefront at McCormick Place on Wednesday, Sept. 7th at 7PM. 

The Hall of Fame will also be inducting a pair of Chicago baseball legends: Carlton Fisk of The White Sox and Ryne Sandburg of The Cubs. Notre Dame legend and Super Bowl Champ with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jerome Bettis, will receive the Gale Sayers Award; Blackhawks great Denis Savard will receive The Stan Mikita Award, and Green Bay Packer and Western Illinois Leatherneck Frank Winters will be honored with the George Connor Award. Former Chicago Bear and 7-time Pro Bowler Lance Briggs is also being inducted.

Other inductees from the world of hoops include Simeon, Illini, and Orlando Magic stalwart Nick Anderson and Proviso East, Minnesota Gopher and Cleveland Cavaliers legend Jim Brewer.

DePaul Head Volleyball Coach and Lincolnway East star Nadia Edwards and former Leo, St. Laurence, and Andrew HS football coach Mike O’Neill are also being inducted. 

Also set for honors are the “voice of the Chicago Bulls” Chuck Swirsky, accepting the media award, and special recognition of Don Wilson, Chairman of Chicago’s America Cup World Series. 

Fox News sportscaster Corey McPherrin returns as emcee of the induction dinner. The event benefits the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame Charities, a 501c3 tax-exempt organization in Illinois honoring those who have distinguished themselves through their contribution to sports. Individual tickets are $150 each and tables of ten are available. VIP cocktails are from 5:30-6:30PM with dinner and induction starting at 7PM on Wednesday Sept. 7th at McCormick Place West, 2301 South Indiana Ave, Chicago, 60016. 

For more information or to purchase tickets click here or call 312-341-3410.

They don’t teach “grit” in any institutions of higher learning, unless of course we’re talking about the school of hard knocks.

You can’t learn grit. It’s genetic, from your parents mostly, or those you associate with during your life who have led by example and shown the way through perseverance, duty, and character. It’s a trait in short supply these days but can still be found among firefighters, cops, teachers and coaches.

The origins of grit have been studied all the way back to the days of Aristotle, but scientists and sociologists have never been able to find an era more abundant in grit than in the soul of NFL linemen of the 1950’s.

Dick Stanfel, 2007 Chicagoland Sports Hall of Famer, was the epitome of grit and will be honored posthumously this August when he is inducted into The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Stanfel’s playing career began in high school in San Francisco as a blocking back. He switched to playing guard when he enrolled at San Francisco Junior College in 1946. After a stint with the US Army as a signal corpsman he played for the University of San Francisco under head coach Joe Kuharich, where Dick blocked for the great Ollie Matson with future hall of famers Gino Marchetti and Bob St. Clair.

Drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1951, Stanfel suffered a serious knee injury while practicing for the Chicago College All-Star game and underwent surgery that sidelined him for the entire ’51 season. He spent a year working with weights, swimming, and rehabbing the knee to return in ’52, becoming a key to the Lions vaunted running game as a blocker, leading the team to the 1952 NFL Championship.

In his second season the Lions repeated as NFL Champions and Stanfel’s fellow players voted this tough-as- nails offensive guard their Most Valuable Player, an honor Dick said was “the biggest thrill I’ve ever received in football.”

When Dick’s college coach, Joe Kuharich, took over as head coach of the Washington Redskins, he engineered a trade with the Lions to acquire his former All-Coast lineman. Stanfel finished his playing career as a 5-time Pro Bowler, 5-time First Team All Pro, 2-time NFL Champion, and in 1969 he was selected as an offensive guard on the NFL’s 1950’s All-Decade Team.

When Kuharich became Notre Dame’s head coach he took his favorite player with him as an assistant line coach, beginning a coaching career that brought him from the Fighting Irish to the California Golden Bears as Marv Levy’s assistant, to the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, and then with the Chicago Bears and Mike Ditka through 1992. After the 1985 Bears won Super Bowl XX, Ditka noted that the Bears had led the NFL in rushing for three straight years and called Stanfel, “the best offensive line coach in football.”

Dick was selected as a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in both 1993 and 2012 and finally will be inducted this August of 2016. He died last June at the age of 87 at his home in Libertyville.

The Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame salutes the legacy and the “grit” of Dick Stanfel. His son Rich recently remarked, “He was one of the toughest players in his day, a fierce competitor, and modest player off the field, and the most important honor to him was being in the ‘Dad’s Hall of Fame.”