Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame will hosted its 44th annual gala and induction ceremony on Feb. 17 at Belvedere Banquets in Elk Grove Village.
This year’s inductees were LPGA champion Missie Bereotti, Pro Football Hall of Famer Alan Faneca, Henry Repeating Arms Founder and CEO Anthony Imperato, White Sox legend Paul Konerko and Washington Nationals President Mike Rizzo.
Patrick A. Salvi was honored as Sportsman of the Year at the event. An attorney and founder of SSP Trial Lawyers, Salvi also founded Salvi Sports Enterprise. A consulting firm that provides strategic planning for minor league sports teams, SSE also runs three local baseball clubs — the Gary SouthShore RailCats, Schaumburg Boomers and North Shore Navigators.
“Pat has managed to combine his professional career with his love for sports and passion for his heritage,” NIASHF President Ron Onesti says. “That’s what makes him a perfect candidate for Sportsman of the Year.”
The sports hall posthumously bestowed its Mario Andretti Lifetime Achievement Award on football Hall of Famer Franco Harris. A star fullback for the Penn State Nittany Lions, Harris played in the NFL for 13 years, 12 of them with the Pittsburgh Steelers. This year is the 50th anniversary of his “Immaculate Reception,” which helped the Steelers defeat the Oakland Raiders in the 1972 AFC playoffs.
