Halloffame | Palm Beach County Sports Commission

2011 Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame
Congratulations to all of this years inductees!

Honoring Palm Beach County Sports Legends

Established in 1977

In 1977 after years of covering local sports, veteran sportswriter Chuck Otterson decided the time was right to formally recognize the accomplishments of area athletes. The Palm Beach County Sports Commission has been involved with this event since 2004, developing it to the successful program it is today.

Selection Process

Nominations are made by the general public and members of the Hall of Fame Committee. Candidates must have been born, attended school, or achieved their major sports accomplishment in Palm Beach County in order to be considered for the Hall of Fame. Nominations are reviewed and committee members and past inductees select the individuals welcomed annually into the Hall of Fame.

Annual Recognition Banquet

Each year in early spring the inductees are honored at a gala banquet. Their lifetime of outstanding contributions in sports is recognized as they are inducted into the elite membership of the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame. Also honored during this banquet is Palm Beach County’s Amateur Athlete of the Year, Professional Athlete of the Year, Coach of the Year, Outstanding Sports Contributor, High School Coach of the Year, High School Athlete of the Year and Special Olympics Athlete of the Year.

Andrews - Ceravolo High School Basketball Coach of the Year

Established in 2006, the Andrews-Ceravolo High School Basketball Coach of the Year Award honors the Most Outstanding Head Coach of the Year in Palm Beach County for High School Varsity Men's Basketball and High School Varsity Women's Basketball. This award has been established to recognize the contributions of two outstanding area coaches, Joe Ceravolo and Floyd Andrews.

Permanent Home

Roger Dean Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins Spring Training, became the permanent site of the Palm Beach County Sport Hall of Fame in 2004. Banners commemorating inductees for each year from 1977 hang around the stadium concourse and are viewed each year by hundreds of thousands of people attending events at the stadium.

Paver Commemoration

The Hall of Fame Committee continues to perpetuate the memories of departed Hall of Fame Members with the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame "Paver Program". The program consists of a brick that has the name of the deceased member and the year of induction into the Hall of Fame engraved on the stone. The City of West Palm Beach has kindly donated prime space in Centennial Square downtown to allow a permanent memorial of inductees that have passed away.

2012 Banquet

To nominate someone to be inducted in 2013,click here

To nominate someone to be an Annual Sports Award Winner, click here

To view more photos from the 2010 banquet, click here

To view a complete list of Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame inductees, click here

2012 Inductees

Anquan Boldin - A member of the Florida High School Association All-Century Team, a team compiled of the top 33 players in the 100 year history of high school football in the state of Florida. In 1998, Boldin was named Florida’s Mr. Football and USA Today First Team All America and Florida Player of the Year and was a star wide receiver at Florida State University. In 2003, he was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round (54th overall pick). As a rookie, Boldin set several records, earned the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honor, and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2003, 2006, 2008. In December 2008, he became the fastest player in NFL history to reach 500 receptions, and in November, 2009 he became the fifth-fastest NFL player in history to gain 7,000 receiving yards. He currently is a star receiver for the Baltimore Ravens. Boldin funded the renovation of the Pahokee High School Football Complex and continues to assist the youth in Palm Beach County, in particular the Glades, through the Anquan Boldin Foundation, Q81.

Rollie Massimino – Coach Massimino is responsible for the inception of the basketball program at Northwood University in 2005. In their inaugural season, Massimino led the Seahawks to the NAIA Championship Tournament. In his first four seasons, Massimino led Northwood to four Florida Sun Conference regular season titles, four appearances in the NAIA National tournament, and the Seahawks reached the Elite Eight in 2008. Massimino and the Seahawks received a bid to play in the 2010 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship. In 2011, Coach Massimino was named both NAIA and NABC Coach of the Year. In 35 years, Massimino has a 619-420 record for .596 winning percentage as a college head coach. His impressive overall record at Northwood University is 137-33. Massimino is one of only 17 college coaches to win 500 games and a National Championship; the National Championship came in the 1984-1985 season with Villanova.

Jessie Hester – An All-State and All-America High School standout football player at Glades Central High School, Jessie played wide receiver at Florida State University from 1982 to 1985, achieving All-American honors. In 1985, he was drafted by the Los Angeles Raiders and played eleven years with the Raiders, Falcons and Colts. During his NFL career, Hester played in 147 games and caught 373 receptions for 5,850 yards and 29 touchdowns. He was the head football coach at Glades Central High School for three years with a record of 36-4, going to the State Semi-Finals two out of the three years earning him the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame Coach of the Year in 2010. Hester is the new Head Football Coach at Suncoast High School.

Completing the prominent class of 2012 Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame inductees includes:

Kevin Butler – A native and life-long resident of Palm Beach County graduated from St. Leo’s Prep School where he was voted the #1 athlete for his accomplishments in football, baseball and golf. Butler began playing in the Florida State Amateurs (golf) in 1965, finishing in the runner-up spot twice. Kevin played in the 1966 West Palm Beach Open, finishing fifth behind four touring professionals. Though Kevin has had a successful playing career, one of his biggest accomplishments has been his contribution to the Southern Golf Association. He has been officiating for the Association for over 20 years, participating in over 60 tournaments, and in 2008 served as President.

Willie Goldsmith, Sr. – Standout four-year starter on the Roosevelt Devils Football team, and undoubtedly one of the most versatile players ever. Goldsmith, Sr. was named All Conference and All-State as a wide receiver and was a member of the 1959 District Championship team and the 1960 State Championship team. He attended Arkansas A.M. & N College (presently known as University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff) where he played quarterback, defensive back and became a First Team Academic All American. He went on to coach football, basketball and track at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels for forty-four years winning championships in football, basketball and track. In 1996, he was selected by the National Football League as one of the top five best high school football coaches in the nation.

Eric Kresser – Standout athlete who lettered in football, basketball and baseball at Palm Beach Gardens High School. During his senior year, Kresser was the Class 5-A All-State Quarterback. He played four years at University of Florida and one season at Marshall University, leading Marshall to NCAA D-1 championship. Kresser spent three seasons with Cincinnati Bengals, one season with Berlin in NFL Europe, and another season with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.

Cauley Patrick – Former Forest Hill High School track and field star, is now serving as a core member of the Palm Beach County Youth Football League, both as coach and board member. He also served as a coach for several years for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Bandit’s semi-pro football team. One of Cauley’s major accomplishments is a second place finish in Shot Put at the Senior World Olympics in St. George, Utah in 2009.

Mark Richt – Previous Boca Raton High School star quarterback and Florida State offensive coordinator, Richt has become one of the most respected coaches in the nation during his nine seasons at the helm of the football program at the University of Georgia. With a 90-27 record, Coach Richt’s .769 winning percentage is third in the nation among active coaches. At the conclusion of the 2010 season, the Bulldogs earned a Liberty Bowl berth, representing the 10th straight bowl bid for Richt.

Fred Ross – Ross was the first Men’s Head Basketball coach at William T. Dwyer High School. He has had 9 twenty-win seasons in the last 10 years and won state basketball titles in 2004, 2005 and 2011. In his 28 seasons as a head basketball coach in Palm Beach County, he has won 539 games. In 2011, he was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Basketball Coach of the Year and the Andrews/Ceravolo Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year in Palm Beach County.

Jimmy Spencer – A Glades Central High School and University of Florida graduate, he was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 1991. Spencer’s 12 year NFL Cornerback career included time with the New Orleans Saints, Cincinnati Bengals, San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos. Spencer is active in the community with the Denver Rescue Mission, where he acts as a liaison that provides families with food, shelter and gifts during the holiday season. He has also created the Jimmy Spencer Foundation that raises money for college scholarships that are given to underprivileged students.

2012 Annual Sports Award Finalists Coming Soon!