41st Great Sports Legends Dinner Supports Neuroscience Research at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
The 41st annual event honored 11 sports legends and announced a $1 million gift establishing the Marc A. Buoniconti Drug Discovery Program in support of research at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.
Key Takeaways
- The 41st Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner honored 11 leading athletes.
- A $1 million gift will establish the Marc A. Buoniconti Drug Discovery Program.
- The event supports The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis and research connected to The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.
Sports Hall of Famers, world champions and Olympic gold medalists came together Oct. 5 in New York for The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis’ 41st Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner presented by Tudor Group and the Mack Family.
The dinner annually 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 Miller School of Medicine, The Miami Project conducts discovery, translational and clinical research for spinal cord and brain injuries and neurological diseases and disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis and stroke.
The 2026 Great Sports Legends honored:
- Rob Gronkowski, four-time NFL Super Bowl champion, five-time NFL Pro Bowler and four-time first team All-Pro
- Shaun White, a five-time Olympian and three-time Olympic gold medalist in halfpipe snowboarding, the most Olympic gold medals won by a snowboarder.
- Laila Ali, five-time World Boxing Champion and boxing Hall of Famer, who retired with a perfect 24–0 professional record, including 21 knockouts
- Misty May-Treanor, three-time Olympic gold medalist and volleyball Hall of Famer who dominated beach volleyball with 112 consecutive tournament wins and 42 career titles
- Dale Jarrett, three-time Daytona 500 winner, 1999 NASCAR Cup Series champion and 2014 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee
- Andruw Jones, Major League Baseball Hall of Famer, five-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove Award winner and 2005 Silver Slugger
- Chris Webber, NBA rookie of the Year in 1994, five-time NBA All-Star, five-time All-NBA Team member and 2021 inductee into the National Basketball Hall of Fame.
- Chamique Holdsclaw, WNBA six-time All-Star and 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
- Mark Recchi, three-time Stanley Cup champion, seven-time All-Star and member of the hockey Hall of Fame
- John Randle, Super Bowl champion and seven-time NFL Pro Bowler who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
- Edgar Prado, Hall of Fame jockey, Eclipse Award winner and three-time North American riding champion who won the 2006 Kentucky Derby aboard Barbaro
The evening also celebrated the 60th birthday of Marc Buoniconti, president and namesake of The Buoniconti Fund. Founding board member Ray Chambers and his MCJ Amelior Foundation, together with founding dinner chair Jack Schneider, announced a $1 million gift to The Buoniconti Fund to establish the Marc A. Buoniconti Drug Discovery Program.
“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, NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti, Dr. Barth Green and others into action to find a cure for paralysis and other neurological diseases and conditions. Thanks to people like Ray and Jack, our sports legends, honorees, event chairs, sponsors and donors, this event helps accelerate new treatments and cures for the millions living with spinal cord and brain injuries and other neurological disorders.”
Music icon, philanthropist, 11-time Grammy Award winner and Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree Gloria Estefan served as Mistress of Ceremonies. Estefan’s connection to The Buoniconti Fund dates back to 1990, when she suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a tour bus accident. Bob Costas, a 28-time Emmy Award winning broadcaster, 12-time Olympic Games host and baseball and broadcasting Hall of Famer, narrated the video tributes to the honorees.
Shane Battier, the two-time NBA champion, NCAA champion and member of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, received The Buoniconti Fund Award in recognition of his philanthropic work.
Why This Event Matters
The Great Sports Legends Dinner raises awareness and support for The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, the fundraising arm of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.
The Miami Project conducts discovery, translational and clinical investigations related to traumatic spinal cord and brain injury, peripheral nerve injury and neurological diseases and disorders.
Support from honorees, sponsors and donors helps advance the organization’s research mission.
Multiple Grammy Award-winning pop-rock group Train performed for the 800 philanthropic, business, civic and community leaders, celebrities and sports icons in attendance. Guests also participated in an auction featuring unique sports memorabilia, jewelry, travel experiences and other items.
Presenting sponsors were Tudor Group and the Mack Family. Mark Dalton of Tudor Group is longtime event chairman, with co-chairs Reed Mack and Richard Gray. Christine E. Lynn was the red-carpet sponsor for the Great Sports Legends Dinner.
Since its inception in 1986, The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis has honored more than 400 sports legends and honorees and raised millions for The Miami Project’s research programs, with the goal to find cures for paralysis resulting from spinal cord injury and seeing millions worldwide walk again and recover from neurological injuries and conditions.
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The 2026 Great Sports Legends Dinner will honor sports icons while supporting The Buoniconti Fund and paralysis research.
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Tags: Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, brain injury, Great Sports Legends Dinner, Marc Buoniconti, multiple sclerosis, Nick Buoniconti, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries, spinal cord injury, stroke, TBI, The Buoniconti Fund, The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, traumatic brain injury