NEW YORK, Aug. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — An unparalleled lineup of Sports Hall of Famers, World Champions, Olympic Gold Medalists, and icons will be honored to raise awareness and millions of dollars for research and treatment of paralysis and other neurological conditions, at The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis’ 41st Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner, Monday, October 5th at the New York Hilton Midtown.
The 2026 Great Sports Legends are:
- Rob Gronkowski, four-time NFL Super Bowl champion, five-time NFL Pro Bowler, and four-time First Team All-Pro
- Shaun White, five-time Olympian and three-time Olympic gold medalist and record holder for the most X Games gold medals, with 15
- Laila Ali, five-time World Boxing Champion and Boxing Hall of Famer
- Misty May-Treanor, three-time Olympic Gold Medalist and Beach Volleyball Hall of Famer
- Dale Jarrett, three-time Daytona 500 winner, 1999 NASCAR Cup Series champion, and 2014 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee
- Andruw Jones, MLB Hall of Famer and five-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove Award Winner
- Chris Webber, 1994 NBA Rookie of the Year, five-time NBA All-Star, and 2021 National Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
- Chamique Holdsclaw, six-time WNBA All-Star and 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
- Mark Recchi, three-time NHL Stanley Cup champion and Hockey Hall of Fame member
- John Randle, NFL Super Bowl champion, seven-time Pro Bowler and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Edgar Prado, Hall of Fame jockey, three-time North American riding champion, won the 2006 Kentucky Derby aboard Barbaro
Shane Battier, the two-time NBA Champion, NCAA Champion and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame member, will receive The Buoniconti Fund Award for his philanthropic work.
Nine-time Grammy Award winner and Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree Gloria Estefan is Master of Ceremonies and the dinner will feature a special musical performance by the multiple Grammy Award-winning pop rock band Train. Guests will also bid on a spectacular auction featuring one-of-a-kind sports memorabilia, magnificent jewelry, trips, and more.
The dinner raises awareness and funds for The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, the fundraising arm of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a designated Center of Excellence at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine and the leading global research center conducting cutting-edge discovery, translational and clinical investigations in traumatic spinal cord and brain injury, peripheral nerve injury, and neurological diseases and disorders, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, Multiple Sclerosis and stroke.
This year’s dinner also celebrates the 60th birthday of Marc Buoniconti, the namesake and president of The Buoniconti Fund. Shortly after his 19th birthday, playing in a college football game, he was paralyzed making a routine tackle. Marc’s late father, NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti, made a promise to find a cure for paralysis and other neurological diseases and disorders.
“Forty-one years ago, my life changed forever,” said Marc Buoniconti. “What was a simple tackle in a college football game was anything but simple for me and my family. That tackle could have ended my life, but it saved and transformed it. My injury spurred my father, Dr. Barth Green, and others into action to find a cure for paralysis and other neurological diseases and conditions. Thanks to the years of support from so many, this event helps accelerate new treatments and cures.”
Presenting Sponsors are Tudor Group and the Mack Family. Mark Dalton of Tudor Group is longtime event chairman, and co-chairs are Reed Mack and Richard Gray. Christine E. Lynn is the Red-Carpet Sponsor.
The dinner begins at 5:30 PM at the New York Hilton Midtown, 1335 6th Ave. For tickets and tables, contact Stephanie Sayfie Aagaard, 305-243-6385, ssayfieaagaard@miami.edu, or visit: www.thebuonicontifund.com/gsld41
For information about The Buoniconti Fund, visit: www.TheBuonicontiFund.com. Follow at Facebook @cureparalysis, Instagram @TheMiamiProject or X @BuonicontiFund.
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SOURCE The Buoniconti Fund To Cure Paralysis
