Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame reveals Class of 2024

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A four-time Super Bowl champion, two-time Stanley Cup winner and member of the 2 On Your Side sports team will be inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame later this year.

Headlining this year’s class are Rob Gronkowski, Amherst native and former NFL tight end, Brooks Orpik, former Nichols School graduate and NHL defenseman, and Vic Carucci, who spent more of four decades covering the NFL.

This is the 34th class of the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame. They will be inducted at a dinner to be held on November 12 in Amherst.

This year’s inductees include:

• Kevin Cadle, high school basketball star, international and Olympic basketball coach, and sports broadcaster.
• Vic Carucci, who spent more than 40 years covering the NFL.
• Norm Foster, coach of Iroquois and Amherst high schools.
• Warren Gelman, three-sport high school athlete and longtime administrator of youth hockey in the region.
• Rob Gronkowski, five-time Pro Bowl selection with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• Rick Lancelloti, a former Buffalo Bisons player turned youth baseball instructor in Western New York.
• Bridget Niland, an outstanding track and field athlete and college sports administrator.
• Brooks Orpik, who won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.
• Cecelie Owens, Buffalo State basketball record holder and founder of Goals. Integrity. Respect. Direction. Sports. (GIRLS) Foundation
• Walt Stefani, a Western New York volleyball legend as a player, coach and administrator.
• Ed Van Tine, a pioneer known as the “Godfather of Lacrosse in Western New York.”
• Paul Wieland, a groundbreaking communications professional for the Buffalo Sabres.

The St. Bonaventure men’s basketball teams from 1967-1970 will also be honored as a Team of Distinction during the November ceremony.

The Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame began in 1991, and with this class, the total number of inductees will reach 400 people.