2019
On October 1, 2019, the anniversary date (1961) of Croatian American New York Yankees baseball player Roger Maris (Maras) hitting a record breaking 61st Home Run
Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame
The National Federation of Croatian Americans Cultural Foundation (NFCACF) is inviting nominations for the inaugural induction class to the Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame (HOF).
We are excited to salute the many Croatian Americans who have contributed and made their mark with valor, fortitude and lasting results in all areas of sports. Their achievements are impressive. The list is long and admirable: from baseball, basketball, boxing, football, ice hockey, rowing, to coaching, refereeing, sports administration and sports management. It is time to recognize those Croatian individuals, coaches and contributors for their exemplary sports achievements.
The five members of the NFCACF Sports Committee are Steve Rukavina, Tom Steich, Jim Kresnik, Derek Hohn and Vedran Joseph Nazor. The Sports Committee has diligently worked on the formation of the HOF and is now ready to accept nominations. Deadline for accepting nominations is March 31, 2022. All nominations will be screened and presented to the Selection Committee of the HOF. The Selection Committee will be comprised of the five members mentioned above and will be expanded to include well known sports celebrities within our community.
Nominations for the Selection Committee can be emailed to: croatianamericansportshof@gmail.com
To be eligible for the Sports Hall of Fame, the nominee has to be a US or Canadian citizen of Croatian descent; the individual has made a significant, notable and impactful contribution to sports in the United States or Canada; can be an athlete, coach, referee, broadcaster, sports management individual or contributor within the world of sports.
It is worth mentioning that there are so many athletes, coaches and contributors of Croatian descent like Roger Maris, Fritzie Zivic, Mark Pavelich, George Mikan, Fred Couples, Bill Belichick, John Havlicek, Stipe Miocic and George Cuvalo that have been record-setting all-stars and champion coaches within the world of sports in North America. These names and many others are examples of individual athletes of Croatian descent who may be nominated.
March 31, 2022 is the deadline to submit nominations to the HOF Sports Committee. The committee will compile the nominations to present and discuss with the larger HOF Selection Committee by May, 2022. The NFCACF plans to announce the Inaugural Class of Inductees for this exciting and long needed Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame initiative by July, 2022. There are plans to send out a press release during the summer of 2022 to provide the date and details for the venue for the Inaugural Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
