News Release Media Contact: TC Martin 920 562-3772 [email protected] ## FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ## November 25, 2013 SACRAMENTO SPORTS HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES CLASS OF 2014 Bruschi, Float, Lee, Meyer and Sax will be inducted January 25th at the 2nd Annual Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame Celebration ’ Sacramento area sports fans have spoken again as the votes are in for this year s class of the Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame. The Class of 2014 features NFL superstar Tedy Brushi, Major League Baseball All Star, Steve Sax, MLB and Japanese League legend Leron Lee and Olympic swimming Gold Medalists Debbie Meyer and Jeff Float. ’ These athletes join last year s inaugural class of the Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame which “ ” included Dusty Baker, Bill Cartwright, Kevin Johnson, Tony The Tiger Lopez and Summer Sanders. This class of 2014 will be honored and inducted on January 25th at Thunder Valley Casino Resort for the 2nd Annual Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame Celebration. This fan friendly event features appearances and speeches by the inductees as ’ well as video tributes and entertainment. Members of last year s class and other nominees will also be in attendance. Fans cast their votes during the open voting period of October 1st - November 17th at www.sacsportshof.com. The top five vote getters represent the Class of the 2014. There ’ were 52 nominees from nine different sports on this year s ballot. ’ This year s event will also feature the first time induction of a local Special Olympics athlete. Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame has partnered with Special Olympics Northern California and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Special Olympics. Tickets go on sale for the event this Friday, November 29th at Thunder Valley Casino Resort and ticketmaster.com. For more information please visit www.sacsportshof.com. ### Please see fact sheet, quotes and bios below: ### For interview requests contact TC Martin. Fact Sheet Web Site: www.sacsportshof.com Class of 2014 Inductees: Tedy Brushi, Jeff Float, Leron Lee, Debbie Meyer, Steve Sax Event: Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame Celebration Date: Saturday, January 25, 2014 Location: Thunder Valley Casino Resort Time: 7:00pm. Tickets: $89.50 $ VIP Package includes - Meet and Greet with Inductees - Autograph and Photo Opportunity ’oeuvres - Complimentary Hors d On Sale: Friday, November 29th Thunder Valley Casino Resort & Ticketmaster Contact: TC Martin 920 562-3772 [email protected] Jim Hanzalik 916 425-6881 [email protected] Quotes from the Class of 2014 Tedy Bruschi "The Sacramento area holds a special place in my heart. It's where I learned how to play football. I will forever be grateful for all of the wonderful teachers and coaches that helped me along the way at Roseville High School. I am honored to be inducted into the Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame. I want all of my former teammates to accept this honor with me. In my mind, we are all going in together." Jeff Float “ I consider it a privilege to be named as a nominee along with the phenomenal homegrown ’ athletes. And now to learn I m actually being inducted into the Sacramento Sports Hall of … ” Fame what an honor. I look forward to celebrating with you all in January. Leron Lee “ To be selected to the Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame is a huge honor. Just to be on the list with all the other athletes from Sacramento, WOW! I know that as far back as Little League we ’ ” always played with a lot of energy and pride. I m proud to be from Sacramento, California. Debbie Meyer “ I am very honored to have been selected to the Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame. Every award I received over the past 46 years is very special to me. This award, coming from my hometown ” is extremely special. Steve Sax “ ’ It is truly an honor to be considered and voted into the Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame. It s a ’ very humbling experience; especially coming from the fans of your hometown. I m proud to be ” part of this very special and talented group of athletes. Tedy Bruschi High School: Roseville College: University of Arizona * NFL Career: 12 Years: (New England) * 3 Time Super Bowl Champion (XXXVI, XXXVII, XXXIX) * 2 Time All-Pro (2003, 2004) * NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2005) * 2 Time Consensus All American (1994, 1995) * 3 Time First Team All Pac 10 (1993,1994,1995) * Morris Trophy Winner (1995) Tedy Bruschi was one of the fiercest competitors at every level he competed. In his four-year college career at Arizona, he compiled 185 total tackles, forced 6 fumbles and tied the NCAA Division 1 sack record with 52 sacks. He was recognized as a consensus first-team All- ’s American in 1994 and 1995, and won the 1995 Morris Trophy as the Pac-10 Conference best defensive lineman. The New England Patriots selected Tedy in the third round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played his entire NFL career with the Patriots from 1996 to 2008. Tedy was moved from defensive lineman to linebacker where he played 189 games accumulating 1,110 tackles, 30.5 sacks and 12 interceptions. His defensive presence helped the New England Patriots win 3 Super Bowl Titles. ’t In 2005 Tedy had a scare when he suffered a mild stroke. He had heart surgery and it didn look like he would play ever again. Tedy proved everyone wrong and was cleared by doctors and resumed his playing career. He was still effective and earned NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2005. Tedy is seen regularly on ESPN as he now has a successful broadcast career. He is an analyst ’s on ESPN NFL coverage. Always opinionated, he has the same fire on camera as he had on the playing field. Jeff Float High School: Jesuit College: University of Southern California * Olympic Gold Medalist 1984 Los Angeles - 4x200m Freestyle Relay * Gold Medalist: World Aquatic Championships 1982 Guayaquil - 4x200m Freestyle * Silver Medalist: World Aquatic Championships 1978 Berlin - 400m Freestyle Jeff was the toast of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles as he won the Gold Medal in the 4 x 200 meter Freestyle Relay. He was named team captain by his peers for his outstanding work ethic and dedication. Sentiment was on his side along with many US athletes in those ’t allowed to compete as the United States games as Jeff qualified four years earlier but wasn boycotted the 1980 games in Moscow. At 13 months of age, Float lost most of his hearing and nearly his life to viral meningitis. As the result, he is 90% deaf in his right ear and 65% in his left. He became the first legally deaf athlete from the United States to win an Olympic gold medal. Float garnered 10 gold medals in 10 events (unprecedented) at the 1977 World Games for the Deaf in Bucharest; a silver medal in 400-meter freestyle at the 1978 World Aquatics Championships in Berlin; and a gold medal in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay at the 1982 World Aquatics Championships in Guayaquil. Jeff and his wife, Jan, still live in Sacramento and are active longtime participants in Swim Across America: a national nonprofit organization which has raised over $40 million. Jeff is the aquatics director at Gold River Racquet Club and is the head coach of the Gold River Stingrays summer recreational team and personal trainer to swimmers of all levels. He is also co-head coach of STAS (Spare Time Aquatics Sacramento), a USS year-round swim program. In ’s addition to coaching, Jeff is a popular motivational speaker. He is truly one of Sacramento most inspirational athletes. Leron Lee High School: Grant * MLB Career: 8 Years (St. Louis, San Diego, Cleveland, Los Angeles Dodgers) * Japanese Career: 11 years (Lotte Orions) * Highest Lifetime Batting Average in Japanese League History The Lee family is famous when it comes to Sacramento sports. Leron graduated from Grant High School with 36 football scholarship offers from major four year universities. Instead, he began his professional career at 18 as the number one draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals. He then played for the Cardinals for three seasons, the Padres for three seasons and also had stints with the Indians and Dodgers. Following his MLB career, Leron found a baseball home playing in Japan where he had an amzing career. He was one of the top American players ever to play in the Japanese league. He played for the Lotte Orions in Japan from 1977 to 1987. He currently holds the Japanese record for highest career batting average with at least 4000 at-bats. He had single season highs of a .359 batting average with 34 Home Runs and 109 RBI. He also had more career hits than the legendary Ichiro Suzuki. Lee revolutionized the Japanese view of foreign players by playing in Japan during his prime, raising the standard for all foreign players thereafter. After retiring from Japanese Baseball, he went on to become the batting coach for the Oakland Athletics in 1989 when they won the World Series. Currently, he works with the Cincinnati Reds as an advising batting coach to scouted players. Leron is the uncle of current MLB All Star Derrek Lee and his younger brother is former MLB and Japanese League player Leon Lee. The Lee family name is still going strong in Sacramento and Leron currently resides in his hometown. Debbie Meyer High School: Rio Americano * 3 Time Olympic Gold Medalist (Mexico City, 1968) * United States Olympic Hall of Fame (1986) * James E Sullivan Award (1968) * Associated Press Athlete of the Year (1969) * American National High School Hall of Fame Inductee (2004) Debbie joined Johnny Weinsmuller, Mark Spitz, and Don Schollander when she was named ’s among the world best swimmers of the century.