May 25—The Niagara Falls Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the addition of Mark Cheers, a 2014 inductee, and Gary Burns (’18) to it’s Board of Directors. The new additions will fill the spots previously held by Frank Colucci and Mitch Adamshick and increase the board membership to 13.
Cheers, a LaSalle High School grad in 1973, was considered a championship caliber New York State boxer in his early 20s, according to local boxing historian Rich Spandido.
“I have watched the video of Mark boxing Clinton Jackson three times and Mark should have won the decision and have had a chance to be teammates of Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns and the rest of the best Olympic Teams of all time,” Spandido said.
Cheers compiled an amateur welterweight record of 64 wins and 4 losses. He gave up boxing shortly after he won the PAL championship due to family commitments .
Burns was a legendary hockey, football and baseball star. He was born in Niagara Falls but achieved most of his accolades while competing for Niagara Wheatfield.
He received All-Niagara Frontier League and All-Western New York awards as well as Niagara Gazette first-team All-Star awards in baseball, football and hockey for the 1977, 78 and 79 seasons.
Burns received a full football scholarship to Boston University, where he earned the team’s Outstanding Linebacker Award in ’85. He was inducted into the NW Hall of Fame in ’94.
He received a full football scholarship to Boston University from 1980 to 1985and was voted the Outstanding Linebacker Award at Boston U. for 1985.
The board is accepting applications for the NFSHOF’s next class through June 30. Applications can be downloaded at www.nfshof.com or obtained from any member of the board. Anyone 55 or older who has had strong ties to Niagara Falls and has had an outstanding career in athletics or any related field may apply. The induction dinner will be held Oct. 23 at the Como Restaurant, COVID allowing.
Any NFSHOF inductee interested in becoming a board member can email president Joe Rizzo at jrizz544@roadrunner.com.
GOLF
Niagara Falls CC
Joe Colosi knocked in a hole-in-one on Wednesday, hitting a 9-wood 155 yards and into the cup on No. 16.
He was playing with Gerry Talarico, Joe Dante and Mike Samartino.
WNYPGA
Bobby Hogan (River Oaks GC) and Matt Clark (Niagara Frontier GC) teamed up with amateurs John Pizone, Pat Parker and Steve Beattie to place eighth at the Elkdale Country Club Pro-Am on Monday in Salamanca, finishing 11-under.
Hogan finished tied for 22nd in individual stroke play and tied for ninth among the seniors at 7-over 77. Clark placed 28th among the pros at 15-over.