Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2020 Inducts 12 New Members

Virtual Ceremony Aired on WGR 550 Sports Radio.

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Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame president Greg Merkle announced the 30th Anniversary class would be introduced virtually as part of a four-part series on WGR 550 AM sports radio. The live shows were broadcast from 10-11 am on four consecutive Saturdays, beginning October 31 and continuing through November 21. Howard Simon served as host.

“On behalf of the board, I want to thank WGR for providing an opportunity for us to continue our annual induction ceremony,” said first-year president Merkle. “Our board has spent the past six months working on this year’s class and I believe the sports fans of Western New York will be excited about the inductees.

Without an in-person ceremony, we made the decision to induct 12 deceased members from the Greater Buffalo sports community,” continued Merkle. “These individuals are part of the rich history of sports in the area and this format provides us an excellent opportunity to recognize their greatness.”

Three new members of the GBSHOF were introduced each Saturday. In addition, the Buffalo Bisons hockey franchise was saluted on the final show, Nov. 21.

Each broadcast featured exclusive interviews with GBSHOF members with a lineup that will include Jeff Manto, Ruben Brown, Darryl Talley, Jimmy Arias, Sue Walsh, Liz Johnson, Craig Ramsay and Frank Layden.

An on-line auction also took place as well as features on other areas of importance to the Hall of Fame.

Class of 2020

This year’s class and their induction schedule are as follows:

October 31 (Special Guests – Ruben Brown and Jeff Manto)

  • Frank Hinkey (Tonawanda, NY) – Yale football 4X All-American; College Football HOF in 1951; Greatest FB player in 19th century.
  • Billy Kelly (Bergen, NY) – Sports Editor The Buffalo Courier and Courier Express (1904-1954).
  • Frank Mount Pleasant (Tuscarora Reservation, Lewiston, NY) – 1904 & 1908 Olympic jumper; Carlisle College and Dickinson. Member American Indian Hall of Fame.

November 7 (Special Guests – Jimmy Arias and Darryl Talley)

  • Charles Ackerly (Cuba, NY) – 1920 Olympic wrestling gold medalist at 132 pounds; Cornell University HOF.
  • Ignatius “Iggy” Gronkowski (Buffalo, NY) – 1924 US Olympic Cycling team; Five world records; Gronk’s great grandfather.
  • Otto Roehm (Hamilton, Ontario) – 1904 Olympic Wrestling Gold medalist; Professional middleweight wrestling champion.

November 14 (Special Guests – Sue Walsh and Liz Johnson)

  • Benny Bengough (Niagara Falls, NY) – Played catcher for NY Yankees 1923-30; Two World Series; Niagara University.
  • James “Pud” Galvin – (St. Louis, Mo) – Pitched 6+ MLB seasons in Buffalo; Baseball’s first 300 game winner; 1965 Baseball Hall of Fame.
  • Luke Urban (Fall River, Mass) – End for Buffalo All-Americans (1921-24); All-NFL in 1922 & 23; Head Basketball (68-47) and Football (46-27-7) coach at Canisius College from 1921-30; Canisius HOF.

November 21 (Special Guests – Frank Layden and Craig Ramsay)

  • Frank Berst (Buffalo, NY) – Seven Time US National Throw Champion between 1941 and 1950; Manhattan All-American.
  • William Leushner (Cookstown, Ontario) – 1908 Olympic Gold medalist in rifle; Silver and two bronze medals in 1912 Olympics.
  • Frank Wright (South Wales, NY) – Won team gold and individual bronze in trap shooting at 1920 Olympics; National Trapshooting HOF; 8X New York State Champion.
  • Buffalo Bisons Hockey with John Boutet and Mike Robitaille – Bisons won seven championships, including five Calder Cups,& eight division titles.