The Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame began in 2013,[1][2][3] founded by Kirk Buchner.[4]
 Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame logo | |
| Founder | Kirk Buchner |
|---|---|
Members | 27 characters 16 Athletes 7 Contributors 4 Veterans |
There are two criteria for nomination to be inducted into the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame: the character must be a fictitious athlete or athletic supporting role appearing after 1970. In 2015 a "veterans" category was opened, which accepts nominees from before 1970.
Voting in the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame is public. There are three rounds of voting each year: one preliminary vote to narrow the field, a second vote to refine the nominees, and a final vote to determine the inductees.
Inaugural induction edit
Rocky Balboa, from the Rocky film series, was chosen as the inaugural induction to start the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame.[5] Buchner stated that the very inspiration for creating the page was seeing outrage at Sylvester Stallone being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame for Rocky.[1]
2014 inductions edit
In 2014, three fictional athletes and one contributor were selected.[4][6][7][8][9]
The athletes were:
- Crash Davis; Bull Durham (played by Kevin Costner)
- Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn; Major League (played by Charlie Sheen)
- Roy Hobbs; The Natural (played by Robert Redford)
The contributor was:
- Harry Doyle; Major League (played by Bob Uecker)
2015 inductions edit
In 2015, the Veteran category was introduced to include those fictional characters who appeared in movies before 1970.[10]
Five fictional athletes, two contributors, and one veteran were selected.[11][12]
The athletes were:
- Happy Gilmore; Happy Gilmore (played by Adam Sandler)
- Reggie Dunlop; Slap Shot (played by Paul Newman)
- Hanson Brothers; Slap Shot (played by David Hanson, Steve Carlson, and Jeff Carlson)
The contributors were:
- Carl Spackler; Caddyshack (played by Bill Murray)
- Mr. Miyagi; The Karate Kid (played by Pat Morita)
The veteran was:
- Andy "Champ" Purcell; The Champ 1931 film (played by Wallace Beery)
2016 inductions edit
Three fictional athletes, two contributors, and one veteran were selected.
The athletes were:
- Apollo Creed; Rocky (played by Carl Weathers)
- Benjamin "Benny" Franklin Rodriguez; The Sandlot (played by Mike Vitar)
- Charlie Conway; The Mighty Ducks (played by Joshua Jackson)
The contributors were:
- Chubbs Peterson; Happy Gilmore (played by Carl Weathers)
- Gordon Bombay; The Mighty Ducks (played by Emilio Estevez)
The veteran was:
- Dennis Ryan; Take Me Out to the Ball Game (played by Frank Sinatra)
2017 inductions edit
Three fictional athletes, one contributor, and one veteran were selected.
The athletes were:
- Bobby Boucher; The Waterboy (played by Adam Sandler)
- Forrest Gump; Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks)
- Willie "Mays" Hayes; Major League (played by Wesley Snipes)
The contributor was:
- Mickey Goldmill; Rocky (played by Burgess Meredith)
The veteran was:
- Guffy McGovern; Angels in the Outfield (played by Paul Douglas)
2018 inductions edit
Three fictional athletes, one contributor, and one veteran were selected.
The athletes were:
- Daniel LaRusso; The Karate Kid (played by Ralph Macchio)
- Dottie Hinson; A League of Their Own (played by Geena Davis)
- Paul "Wrecking" Crewe; The Longest Yard (played by Burt Reynolds)
The contributor was:
- Morris Buttermaker; The Bad News Bears (played by Walter Matthau)
The veteran was:
- Huxley College; Horse Feathers (played by Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, and Zeppo Marx)
2019 inductions edit
Three fictional athletes, two contributors, and one veteran were selected.
The athletes were:
- Clubber Lang; Rocky (played by Mr. T)
- "Fast" Eddie Felson; The Hustler & The Color of Money (played by Paul Newman)
- Ivan Drago; Rocky (played by Dolph Lundgren)
The contributors were:
- "Coach" Ernie Pantusso; Cheers (played by Nicholas Colasanto)
- Adrian Balboa; Rocky (played by Talia Shire)
The veteran was:
- Goofy; various short and feature films
2020 inductions edit
Three fictional athletes, two contributors, and one veteran were selected.
The athletes were:
- Al Bundy; Married... with Children (played by Ed O'Neill)
- Homer Simpson; The Simpsons (voiced by Dan Castellaneta)
- Johnny Lawrence; The Karate Kid (played by William Zabka)
The contributors were:
- Jimmy Dugan; A League of their Own (played by Tom Hanks)
- The gopher; Caddyshack
The veteran was:
2021 inductions edit
Three fictional athletes, two contributors, and one veteran were selected.
The athletes were:
- Jake Taylor; Major League (played by Tom Berenger)
- Jimmy Chitwood; Hoosiers (played by Maris Valainis)
- Sam Malone; Cheers (played by Ted Danson)
The contributors were:
- Norman Dale; Hoosiers (played by Gene Hackman)
- Paulie Pennino; Rocky (played by Burt Young)
The veteran was:
- Harold Lamb; The Freshman (played by Harold Lloyd)
2022 inductions edit
Three fictional athletes, two contributors, and one veteran were selected.
The athletes were:
- Adonis Creed; Creed (played by Michael B. Jordan)
- Lee; Enter the Dragon (played by Bruce Lee)
- Ricky Bobby; Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (played by Will Ferrell)
The contributors were:
- Irving "Irv" Blitzer; Cool Runnings (played by John Candy)
- John Kreese; The Karate Kid (played by Martin Kove)
The veteran was:
- Frank Capua; Winning (played by Paul Newman)
References edit
- ^ a b Radley, Scott (September 27, 2016). "RADLEY: A Hall of Fame natural". The Hamilton Spectator. MetroLand Media.
- ^ Gillard, Troy. "More On Sports". More On Sports – 106.7 The Drive (starts at 18:00). 106.7 FM Radio.
- ^ "Rocky Balboa named the first inductee to the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame". Press King. November 20, 2013.
- ^ a b "Ep. 13: Kirk Buchner, Curator: Fictional Athlete HOF, Debate Greatest Movie Athletes Ever". SoundCloud. Permission Granted Podcast.
- ^ Greene, Jerry (May 2, 2015). "Fictitious Hall has a lot of character(s)". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando Sentinel.
- ^ Perry, Dwight (December 7, 2014). "Where Is the Love for Gus the Kicking Mule?". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on November 15, 2018.
- ^ Froberg, Tim (December 24, 2014). "Fictitious sports world filled with classic characters". The Post-Crescent.
- ^ Krah, Steve (December 2, 2014). "Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame welcomes "Crash" Davis, Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn and Roy Hobbs". The Elkhart Truth. The Elkhart Truth.
- ^ Clinton, Jared (December 30, 2014). "The five greatest silver screen hockey stars of all-time". The Hockey News.
- ^ "The Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame announces the Finalists for the 2015 Class". PR Newswire. PR Newswire.
- ^ Wallace, Fred (January 4, 2016). "Hansons Headline Hall Inductees". Bayshore Broadcasting. Bayshore Broadcasting.
- ^ Mitchell, Kevin (January 3, 2016). "The best sporting quotes of 2015..." Vernon Morning Star. Vernon Morning Star.
External links edit
- Official website
- Elkhart Truth Announces 2015 Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame Inductees
- Inaugural Induction Press Release
- NewsWire: 2015 Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame Finalists Announced
- Podcast: Bill Littlefield interviews Kirk Buchner to discuss the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame
- Permission Granted interviews Kirk Buchner to discuss the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame
- Fred Wallace of Bayshore Broadcasting interviews Kirk Buchner to discuss the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame
- Jerry Greene of the Orlando Sentinel covers the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame
- Bob Asmussen of the News-Gazette covers the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame
- TSN covers the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame
- The Howard Simon Show covers the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame
- Broadway World covers the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame
- Permission Granted Youtube Video of interview with Kirk Buchner to discuss the Fictitious Athlete Hall of Fame
- SportsNet Interview of Kirk Buchner begins at 37:15
- News Talk 770 (CHQR) Dave Rowe talks about the 2016 finalists