For Immediate Release
May 15, 2018 |
Miami Lakes Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2018 Inductees Announced
Tony Nathan, Joel Rodriguez, Sara Sidner, William Graham, and Jim Hamilton will be added to the Hall on Saturday, June 2, after all are approved by the Miami Lakes Town Council.
This is Hall’s second class and will raise the number of inductees to nine. Don Shula, Jim Mandich, Alex Ochoa, and Jack McCall were selected for the inaugural class in 2017.
NATHAN spent nine seasons with the Dolphins, from 1979 through 1987. He finished his Dolphins career with a combined 7,135 rushing and receiving yards and 32 touchdowns. He started in two Super Bowls, played for the legendary Don Shula, is a member of the Dolphins honor roll and was selected as one of the team's 50 greatest players. He played his college football at Alabama under another coaching legend, Paul "Bear" Bryant.
RODRIGUEZ was a standout offensive lineman at Miami and a member of the last Hurricanes team to win a national championship in 2001. At Monsignor Pace High, he was voted an all-state player. In college, he was a four-time all-conference scholar-athlete selection. After his playing days Rodriguez entered the coaching profession and is now back at his alma mater as a Hurricanes’ assistant.
SIDNER was a standout basketball and volleyball player at Hialeah-Miami Lakes High, a multiple-time honoree for both athletic and academic achievements. She was a walk-on who made the volleyball roster at Florida and was part of the team that went to the NCAA semifinals in 1992. She is now a correspondent for CNN, has reported from around the world and is a winner of both a Peabody award and a Murrow award.
GRAHAM played on a Florida state championship basketball team at Miami High in 1942, served his country in World War II, was a longtime chairman of The Graham Companies and became a principal developer of what is now known as Miami Lakes. He was involved in athletics for his entire life and remained a nationally regarded badminton player well into his 70s. Graham died in 2009 at 84.
HAMILTON, selected as a builder, has been a member of the Miami Lakes Optimist Club since 1973. He has served the club as president, vice president, board member, commissioner, and coach. He is in the South Florida District Optimist Hall of Fame and has worked tirelessly for decades to help Miami Lakes children reach their academic and athletic potential.
If you interested in serving on the Miami Lakes Sports Hall of Fame Committee or for more information, including how to nominate candidates for the 2019 enshrinement class, please visit www.miamilakes-fl.gov/halloffame or contact Jeremy Bajdaun, Parks and Athletics Manager at BajdaunJ@miamilakes-fl.gov