The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis’ 39th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner – InventUM

The organization has raised more than $130 million in support of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis’ spinal cord injury research.

More than 800 business, community and civic leaders, humanitarians, celebrities and philanthropists convened for The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis’ 39^th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner to celebrate some of the most accomplished Hall of Fame and world champion athletes in their respective sports.

More importantly, they came to reaffirm their stalwart commitment to raising funds for traumatic spinal cord and brain injury and neurodegenerative disorders and diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, ALS and stroke. Indeed, they raised several million dollars for The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, the fundraising arm of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a Center of Excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

This year’s honorees were:

• Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson
• Seven-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Roger Clemens
• New York Rangers Stanley Cup champion and hockey Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist
• Four-time Pro Bowler and Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez
• NBA champion, nine-time All-Star and Hall of Famer Gary Payton
• Three-time Olympic gold medalist beach volleyball player Kerri Walsh Jennings
• WNBA champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist and Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings
• Four-time Grand Slam singles champion tennis player Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
• Hall of Fame jockey and multiple Kentucky Derby winner Johnny Velazquez

Music icon, philanthropist, eight-time Grammy Award winner and Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree Gloria Estefan, whose connection to The Buoniconti Fund dates back more than three decades, when she suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a tour bus accident, was the Mistress of Ceremonies for the event.

The Buoniconti Fund also honored beloved sports agent Leigh Steinberg with the prestigious The Buoniconti Fund Humanitarian Award. Distinguished philanthropist Ray Chambers was awarded The Christine E. Lynn Champion for a Cure Award. The event also featured a live performance by three-time Grammy Award winner and 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Kool & the Gang.

In honor of their son, Bill Ryan, Jr., Susan and Bill Ryan and the Ryan family are donating $1.5 million to name The Bill Ryan, Jr., Laboratory for Scientific Research and Educational Programs. Bill Ryan, Sr., and Nick Buoniconti first met as undergraduates at Notre Dame and found common cause after both of their sons became paralyzed as the result of tragic accidents.

Other VIP guests included:

• Actor and star of “The Spiderwick Chronicles” and “Blink Twice,” Christian Slater
• Grammy Award-winning artist Shaggy
• “Saturday Night Live” cast member Marcello Hernandez
• Grammy Award winning musician and producer and entrepreneur Emilio Estefan
• Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Jon Secada and his daughter, Broadway performer and actress Mikaela Secada
• Super Bowl champion and NFL Hall of Famer Harry Carson
• Ten-time Olympic medalist and swimming icon Gary Hall, Jr.
• World Series champion pitcher Scott Erickson
• Actor from “Single Ladies” and “Dancing with the Stars,” Aiden Turner
• Co-owner of the New York Islanders, Jon Ledecky
• Actor from “The Client List,” Colin Egglesfield
• Hall of Fame broadcaster Lesley Visser
• Olympic fencing medalist Monica Aksamit
• 1968 Olympic long jump gold medal winner Bob Beamon
• NFL offensive lineman and Super Bowl champion Jeff Dellenbach
• All-Pro football player Brian Kelley
• Jackie and Evan Goldschneider from “The Real Housewives of New Jersey”
• SailGP USA CEO and co-owner Mike Buckley
• Actor and star of “The Cutting Edge,” D.B. Sweeney

“I can’t help but think back to the day I walked on the football field 39 years ago or imagined that I would be here today,” said Marc Buoniconti, Buoniconti Fund president. “I heard someone say once that it’s O.K. to do what you want to do until you find out what you were meant to do.  As I made that tackle, my destiny of playing in the NFL faded away, but just like anyone who faces hardships in their lives, we can quit and bury ourselves in self-pity and self-blame, or we can use it as an opportunity to embrace one’s true destiny. I now know that my true destiny is to find a cure for paralysis and change the lives of millions around the world, and that destiny is one I fully embrace. Tonight’s contributions will allow The Miami Project to continue its pioneering paralysis and neurological disease research with the goal of finding a cure.”

The high-profile dinner, presented by The Tudor Group and The Mack family, annually attracts a veritable who’s who of sports legends, celebrities, philanthropists, corporate leaders and influential notables from New York and Miami.

Chaired by Mark Dalton and co-chaired by Reed Mack and Richard Gray, the event also featured a spectacular silent auction, which included one-of-a-kind autographed sports memorabilia, travel and experiences, electronics, autographed memorabilia, “kidz korner,” magnificent jewelry and much more.

The Buoniconti Fund was founded 39 years ago by NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti, captain of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, still the only team in NFL history to go undefeated in a season. He co-founded The Miami Project with renowned neurosurgeon Barth Green, M.D., to help find a cure for his son Marc, who was paralyzed in a collegiate football game.

Over the past 39 years, The Buoniconti Fund has honored more than 400 sports legends and humanitarians and has raised more than $130 million for The Miami Project’s spinal cord injury research programs.

Tags: Marc Buoniconti, Nick Buoniconti, The Buoniconti Fund, The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis