California Sports Hall of Fame finds forever home in Ontario ...Middle East

News by : (The Orange County Register) -
Former San Francisco 49er Jesse Sapolu watches pregame warmups before an NFL football game between the Tennessee Titans and the San Francisco 49ers in San Francisco, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Sanchez) SAN FRANCISCO – SEPTEMBER 23: Guard Jesse Sapolu #61, tackle Harris Barton #79 and Bubba Paris #77 of the San Francisco 49ers block against Atlanta Falcons defensive end Rick Bryan #77 during a game at Candlestick Park on September 23, 1990 in San Francisco, California. The 49ers won 19-13. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) Five-time Olympic swimming medalist Janet Evans, left, talks with swimmer Jayleen Gutierrez, 10 years old, during the LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Day of Sport on Thursday at the Michelle and Barack Obama Sports Complex in Los Angeles. The event featured more than 1,000 kids competing in a model Olympic and Paralympic Games to celebrate the 2028 Games coming to Los Angeles. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) FILE – In this July 19, 1996, file photo, American swimmer Janet Evans passes the Olympic flame to Muhammad Ali during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games Opening Ceremony in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File) U.S. Swimmer Janet Evans of Placentia, Calif, celebrates her Olympic gold medal performance in the 400-meter freestyle, Sept. 22, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. Evans set a new world record with her time of 4:03.85. (AP Photo) Jesse Sapolu #61, Center and Offensive Guard for the San Francisco 49ers looks out from behind his helmet face guard during the National Football Conference West Division game against the New Orleans Saints on 29th October 1995 at the 3Com Park Stadium in San Francisco, California, United States. The Saints won the game 11 – 7. (Photo by Al Bello/Allsport/Getty Images) FILE – In this Nov. 30, 1989, file photo, From left, United States soccer team players John Harkes, Paul Caligiuri, Bruce Murphy, Tab Ramos and Peter Vermes react following Caligiuri’s first half goal against Trinidad and Tobago, in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. Twenty-eight years after Caligiuri’s goal put the United States in the World Cup for the first time since 1950, the Americans are back in Trinidad for the final game of regional qualifying on Tuesday, only this time they need merely a tie and not a win. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) Shane Mosely, left, and Miguel Cotto spar during the WBA welterweight title boxing match Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007 at Madison Square Garden in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II) Show Caption1 of 8Former San Francisco 49er Jesse Sapolu watches pregame warmups before an NFL football game between the Tennessee Titans and the San Francisco 49ers in San Francisco, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Sanchez) Expand

 

On Sunday, as the California Sports Hall of Fame hosts its annual induction ceremony at the Ontario Convention Center, it will also unveil a long-awaited announcement.

The “CSHOF,” as it’s known, has finally found its forever home.

Plans will be announced to build a permanent space to honor both the newest class and more than 100 legends already enshrined. The Hall will sit inside the upcoming Ontario Sports Empire, a nearly 200-acre sports complex currently under construction.

The sprawling development will feature multi-purpose fields for youth sports and a fully operational minor league stadium, the future home of the Dodgers’ Single-A affiliate.

The stadium is expected to be finished by April, with the rest of the complex finished by October. Organizers expect the site to draw sizable foot traffic, according to Greater Ontario California (GOCL) CEO Michael Krouse.

“We anticipate about 1.2 million people will go through that footprint each year,” said Krouse, who is overseeing the fundraising for the Hall. “Excluding what comes through for the baseball team. That’s another quarter of a million people. You’re looking at a significant number of visitors through that location.”

The Hall of Fame was founded in 2006 by former NFL running back Christian Okoye, who had spent years calling the biggest names in sports — from Magic Johnson to Bill Walsh — to help launch the vision.

In his eyes, it always had to be about more than honoring the past. Through a partnership with the California Interscholastic Federation, the Hall awards scholarships to two high school athletes each year.

Okoye knows the true value of a helping hand.  A mentor brought him to California from Nigeria, where he later starred as both a football player and track-and-field star at Azusa Pacific in the San Gabriel Valley.

“I never thought I’d be here,” Okoye said. “It’s because somebody helped me, so passing it on, that’s what life’s about.”

Five new members will be inducted Sunday night, soon to be immortalized at the Hall’s new home:

Jesse Sapolu

Seiuli Manase “Jesse” Sapolu is a former NFL offensive lineman, a four-time Super Bowl champion, a two-time Pro Bowler, and one of just six players in 49ers history to earn four rings. After returning to play from open-heart surgery, he won the team’s Ed Brock Courage Award.

Janet Evans

Janet Evans commandeered the record books as one of the greatest distance swimmers in history. At just 15, the Southern California native shattered world records in the 400 meters, 800, and 1500 freestyle with a famously unorthodox windmill stroke. She would win five Olympic medals, including four golds, in her career.

Ron Brown

Ron Brown was an Olympic gold medalist, world-record sprinter, and Pro Bowl kick returner for the Rams. The Baldwin Park native won gold in the 4×100 at the 1984 Olympics before starring with the Rams. Today, he mentors youth and leads community programs across Southern California.

Paul Caligiuri

Paul Caligiuri was an American soccer pioneer. The two-time All-American and one-time national champion from UCLA made 110 appearances for the United States Men’s National Team and had a starring role in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups for the U.S. His “goal heard around the world,” against Trinidad and Tobago, sent the USMNT to the 1990 World Cup, qualifying for the first time in 40 years.

Shane “Sugar” Mosley

Shane “Sugar” Mosley is a seven-time world champion boxer across three weight classes. The Lynwood native burst onto the scene with a 38-0 record, 35 wins by knockout, and the highest KO rate in lightweight history. He made the US Olympic boxing team at just 16 years old.

Related Articles

Los Alamitos horse racing consensus picks for Friday, June 27, 2025 UFC 317: Ilia Topuria, Charles Oliveira to square off for lightweight title Lakers sign Villanova star Eric Dixon to two-way contract Rose Lavelle shines for USWNT after 7-month layoff NBA draft: All-Americans Johni Broome, Ryan Kalkbrenner go early on Day 2

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( California Sports Hall of Fame finds forever home in Ontario )

Also on site :

Most Viewed News
جديد الاخبار