Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame
The Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame is a nonprofit in Cleveland, Ohio. It began in 1976 as a bicentennial project to honor Greater Cleveland athletes. The first class had 151 inductees; today about eight people are inducted each year. Greater Cleveland includes Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Summit, Portage, Stark, Lorain, and Medina counties. Inductees must have grown up in Greater Cleveland or become residents, and they must be retired for at least three years or, if still playing, have competed at a high level for at least 12 years. Inductees are honored at an annual induction ceremony.
This year’s ceremony is on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at Urban Community School’s Roundstone Athletic Center on Cleveland’s West Side. The reception starts at 6:00 p.m., dinner at 7:00 p.m., and the program at 8:00 p.m. The class includes Wanda Ford, Tianna Madison, Stipe Miocic, Chris Spielman, and Jack Turben.
By 2025, there are over 550 inductees across 30 categories. Inductees receive a plaque with a drawing of themselves and their sport, and many plaques are on display at the Hall’s location.
The Jack Herrick Youth Sports Fund (JHYSF) supports youth sports by giving grants for one-time capital or project needs to local amateur organizations. Grants go to qualified groups and are announced at the induction ceremony; preference is given to organizations that have not been funded before. In 2025, EMPOWER SPORTS and Rec2Connect received JHYSF grants. Ceremonies for the Hall of Fame inductions take place at Urban Community School’s Roundstone Athletic Center, the new home of the GCLESHOF and its museum, at 2025 W. 47th St., Cleveland.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:35 (CET).