Sports Superstars Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, John Elway, Mark Messier, Gary Player & Kelly Slater Among Those Named 2007 Buoniconti Fund Great Sports Legends

    NEW YORK, July 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Sports superstars and philanthropic
 icons will be recognized at the 22nd Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner on
 Monday, September 17 at New York's Waldorf=Astoria Hotel. The Buoniconti
 Fund to Cure Paralysis is a non-profit organization that is the national
 fundraising arm of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, the world's
 largest, most comprehensive spinal cord injury research center, based at
 the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
     The 2007 Great Sports Legends are:
 
     -- Earvin "Magic" Johnson - five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles
        Lakers
     -- John Elway - Denver Broncos Hall of Fame NFL quarterback
     -- Mark Messier - New York Rangers three-time MVP and Hockey Hall of Fame
        inductee
     -- Gary Player - winner of nine major golf championships, including three
        Masters, three British Opens, two PGA Championships and the U.S. Open
     -- Kelly Slater - ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) world
        champion title holder an unprecedented eight times
     -- Joe Morgan - former Cincinnati Reds second baseman and National
        Baseball Hall of Fame member
     -- Janet Evans - five-time Olympic medalist for swimming
     -- Gil de Ferran - winner of the 2003 Indianapolis 500 and two-time winner
        of the Champ Car World Series
     -- Lesley Visser - Sportscaster and the first woman to receive the Pro
        Football Hall of Fame's Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award
     Tom Brokaw, who is again hosting the event, will present "The
 Outstanding Philanthropist Award" to Lois Pope and "The Buoniconti Fund
 Award" to The Bantle Family.
     The spectacular and heartwarming event is expected to again sell out to
 over 1,300 guests and raise more than $3 million for spinal cord injury
 research. The event begins at 6 p.m. with a cocktail reception and silent
 auction, followed by dinner, which will include a live auction of one-of-a-
 kind sports memorabilia and other unique items.
     "These honorees are among the finest that sports have to offer," says
 Nick Buoniconti, founder of The Buoniconti Fund and defensive captain of
 the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins. "This group of the greatest sports
 figures of all time have individually contributed in significant ways to
 their respective fields and, by accepting this honor at our annual
 fundraiser, they are also contributing to finding a cure for spinal cord
 injuries, which affect millions of lives."
     Over the course of the past two decades, the Great Sports Legends
 Dinner has honored 226 of the world's greatest athletes and individuals.
 They are recognized for their contributions to the world of sports and
 acknowledged for their commitment to high ethical standards, dedication to
 their community, worthy causes and achievements as positive role models.
 Their participation has helped raise more than $34 million for The Miami
 Project's spinal cord injury research programs. Former honorees include
 Lance Armstrong, Michael Jordan, Mickey Mantle, Jack Nicklaus, Gloria
 Estefan, Muhammad Ali, Wayne Gretzky, Patrick Ewing, Walter Cronkite, Mia
 Hamm, Dan Marino and Joe DiMaggio.
     In 1985, Barth A. Green, M.D. and Nick Buoniconti founded The Miami
 Project to Cure Paralysis after Nick's son, Marc, sustained a spinal cord
 injury during a college football game. Today, The Miami Project is the
 world's largest, most comprehensive spinal cord injury research center
 located in the Lois Pope LIFE Center and is based at the University of
 Miami Miller School of Medicine. The Miami Project's international team of
 over 200 scientists, clinicians, technicians and support staff take
 innovative approaches to the challenge of spinal cord injury. Committed to
 finding a cure for paralysis resulting from spinal cord injury and to
 seeing millions worldwide walk again, the Buoniconti family established The
 Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis in 1992, a non-profit organization
 devoted to assisting The Miami Project achieve its national and
 international goals.
     Tickets can be purchased by phone at (305) 243-4656, (212) 245-6570 or
 online at www.thebuonicontifund.com
 
 

SOURCE The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis