Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame to Hold 3rd Annual Induction Ceremony April 6

The Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame will hold its 3rd annual Induction Ceremony on April 6, 2006 at the Sheraton Society Hill. This year’s event will honor the 2005 Pride of Philadelphia Award winners and the members of Inductee Class III. The new class includes 15 individuals, a team and the Hall of Fame's first venue enshrinement. These join the 41 current members of the Philly Hall, those from the Charter Class of 2004 and last year's Inductee Class II.

Confirmed attendees from this year’s class of Inductees include Bill Ellerbee, Don Bragg, Jack Ramsay and Ray Didinger along with members of the 1960 Eagles including Chuck Bednarik, Tommy McDonald, Tom Brookshier and Pete Retzlaff. Other members of Inductee Class III include Al Simmons, Anne Townsend, Del Ennis, Gene Hart (Legacy of Excellence), Hal Greer, Helen Sigel Wilson, Herb Adderley, Joe Fulks, Reggie Jackson, Roy Campanella, Willie Mosconi and The Palestra (Venue Enshrinement).

The 2005 Pride of Philadelphia Award winners are the 2004-05 Calder Cup Champion Philadelphia Phantoms and Preakness and Belmont winner Afleet Alex with his owners, Cash is King stables.

“Last year, the Induction Ceremony was completely sold out,” said Steve Tallant Vice-President of Foundation Development for the Hall of Fame. “Sales have been very brisk so far and we anticipate ticket demand to be even stronger this year, as we continue to build the greatest roster of inductees in any sports Hall of Fame.”

The ceremony features Pat Williams, former 76er General Manager and current Senior VP for the Orlando Magic, as the Master of Ceremonies along with numerous Inductees from the Hall of Fame’s first two classes.
Entries from the Hall of Fame’s 1st annual art contest will be for sale in a gallery-like setting. The original works of art feature the Hall of Fame’s 3rd Inductee Class. A museum exhibit will feature artifacts from the Hall of Fame’s unique collection of Philadelphia sports artifacts.

The cocktail reception begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner and the Induction Ceremony. The banquet is open to the public and tickets can be purchased online at http://www.phillyhall.com, by calling (215) 886-6657 Ext. 3.