Hall of Fame To Immortalize Brevard Sports Greats
By Space Coast Daily // March 17, 2012
Sports
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – For more than a century, athletes from Brevard have been considered among the finest in America and now their accomplishments will be honored and immortalized with the creation of the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame.
Maverick Multimedia, Space Coast Sports Promotions and Bright House Networks are teaming up to launch the Hall of Fame, with the inaugural class of inductees to be enshrined May 11 at the 2012 Induction Banquet and AnnualSports Awards at the Cocoa Beach County Club.
Nominees will be chosen in four categories including professional sports, college sports, high school sports and amateur sports. Special honorary recognition will also be bestowed upon individuals and groups that have made significant contributions to sports on the Space Coast.
A special committee will then elect the Class of 2012 induction recipients with input from school administrators, athletic directors, coaches and the public.
Serving on the committee are Maverick Multimedia President & CEO Tom Palermo, Vice President Giles Malone, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Jim Palermo, Managing Editor Ed Pierce, award-winning sports columnist Peter Kerasotis, andSpace Coast Sports Promotions President Rusty Buchanan.
“This recognition is something that is long overdue here,” Tom Palermo said. “The list of potential and deserving candidates will include athletes and coaches everybody knows – and some that may have been forgotten with the passing of time.”
Kerasotis has been covering sports on the SpaceCoast for five decades and was selected the country’s best sports columnist in 2011 by the Football Writers Association of America.
“I’ve always been proud of the sports figures our county has produced, and even prouder that I’ve chronicled their achievements and consider many of them close friends,” Kerasotis said. “I now look forward to being a part of the organizing committee.”
Avid sports fan, Dr. Jim Palermo, said, “I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to live and work in Brevard County for 28 years, during which time I’ve had the pleasure of watching and following so many superlative athletes ascend through local junior and schoolsports programs to the college level, and some into the pros.”
“Our goal is to recognize these athletes in a hometown venue where their exploits and accomplishments can be formally celebrated and memorialized,” he said.
Pierce said he is humbled to sit on the committee and believes the annual Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame inductions will become a cherished event and tradition for Brevard residents.
“Every day we are inspired and awed by the feats and achievements of athletes from this county,” he said.
“To create a venue to pay tribute to these talented men and women is a small way of thanking them for the enduring memories they have provided for all of us on the playing fields over the decades.”
Seating for the 2012 Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet and Sports Awards at the Cocoa Beach County Club will be limited to 400, and tickets will go on sale next week.
Malone said he’s often wondered why, with so many outstanding athletes calling Brevard County home, that there previously has not been a way to highlight their skills and record-breaking performances in so many different sports.
“If you think about it, athletes from the SpaceCoast are woven into the fabric of our lives,” said Malone.
“We have grown up with them. We’ve gone to school with them and watched them stand out insports arenas and stadiums throughout the world. It makes sense that finally there will be a place to acknowledge what they have done and how proud we are of them.”
Details about the Hall of Fame nomination process and the induction ceremonies will be forthcoming in the next month, Buchanan said.
“We feel this is certainly going to be something very special,” he said. “I am excited to find out who will be nominated and honored.”
For information about the Space CoastSports Hall of Fame, or to reserve your seats, e-mail MaverickMultimedia@gmail.com or call 321-615-8111 or 321-323-4460.
