Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame announces Class of '06

One of the greatest defensive players in the history of the National Football League, the National Hockey League's power play record holder, a pair of homegrown gridiron stars, two high school coaching legends, a World Series winning pitcher, Buffalo's best-known soccer export, a world-renowned sailor, one of the nation's best-known sports businessmen and a tennis standout who went on to coach some of the best in the world make up the 16th class to be enshrined in the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.

The 11 sports greats - Bruce Smith, Dave Andreychuk, Joe Ehrmann, Bill Hurley, Dick Harvey, Paul Fitzpatrick, Billy Scherrer, Rudy Pikuzinski, Jody Swanson Stark, Jeremy Jacobs and Bobby Banck - will take their permanent home in the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame at HSBC Arena Oct. 26.

Here is a look at each honoree:

Bruce Smith

Know perhaps as the most immovable object on a legendary irresistible force, Smith was drafted first overall by Buffalo in the 1985 NFLdraft out of Virginia Tech, where he earned the Outland Trophy and first team All-American honors as a senior.

In his first year with the Bills, Smith was named AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year and selected to the Football Digest All-Rookie team. In 1987, he earned Pro Bowl MVP, first team All-Pro, NFLPA Defensive Lineman of the Year and UPI Defensive Player of the Year, followed by UPI AFC Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 1988.

A 15-year starter with the Buffalo Bills, Smith set a team record with eight Pro Bowl selections and was the recipient of multiple NFLPA defensive lineman of the year awards, including a stretch of three straight years. He also set a club record of 19 sacks in a season. He later set a new NFLrecord for most double-digit sack seasons (13) and the NFLrecord for career sacks while a member of the Washington Redskins.

Dave Andreychuk

A Hamilton, Ontario native, Andreychuk began his 23-year NHL career in Buffalo in 1982, the year the Sabres made him their number one draft choice, 16th overall. Andreychuk scored in his very first game and played 11 seasons in Buffalo, where he would go on to hold the club records for goals in a game (four), career power play goals (160), single season power-play goals (28), power play goals in a game (four), career assists (436) and points (804).

His finest Sabres season occurred in 1991-92, in which he scored 41 goals and assisted on 50 others.

Andreychuk also holds NHL records for power-play goals in a season (28) and career (270), and as the oldest to play in a Stanley Cup final (40 years, 7 months). He won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2003-04 season.

Joe Ehrmann

Ehrmann was a standout football player at Riverside High School, starting all four years on both the offensive and defensive lines and earning All-Western New York honors as a junior and senior and High School All-American honors as a senior.

Ehrmann went on to star at Syracuse University in the late 1960s and early 1970s, where he was named All-American as a junior and was later selected to the Orange's All-Century Team.

Drafted by the Baltimore Colts as the 10th overall pick in 1973, Ehrmann played for the Colts from 1973 to 1980, earning Pro Bowl honors in 1976. He played two seasons with Detroit and three more in the USFL.

Ehrmann's life took a dramatic change after the death of his younger brother and best friend, Bill, and the story was chronicled in the book "Season of Life: A Football Star, a Boy, a Journey to Manhood," written by Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter Jeffrey Marx.

Bill Hurley

Hurley was a triple threat at St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute in the early 1970s. A three-year starter in football, Hurley was named first team All-Catholic, first team All-Western New York, first team All-New York State and first team All-America New World Magazine. He was voted team MVP and MVP in the 1975 city/county all-star game, and won the 1975 Billy Kelly Award as Outstanding Athlete in the Msgr. Martin Association Burke League. He set the New York State single game rushing record (381 yards on 17 carries) against Bishop Turner.

Hurley went on to star in football at Syracuse University and, as a four-year starter, was twice selected team captain, twice team MVP, twice honorable mention All-America and twice named the All-East quarterback. He finished his collegiate career ranked first at SU in passing and total offense, as well as third in rushing.

Hurley was selected in the fourth round of the 1980 NFLdraft by Pittsburgh and later played for New Orleans and Buffalo.

Dick Harvey

Harvey may have grown up in Dunkirk and starred on the hardwood at the University at Buffalo as a collegian, but his legacy lies in the old gym at Kenmore West. It was there, in his 35 years as head coach of the Blue Devils, that Harvey became one of the winningest coaches in both Western New York and New York State high school basketball history.

Harvey won 445 games guiding the Blue Devils, a figure that ranks fifth all-time in Western New York and 45th in state basketball annals. His teams accumulated nine Niagara Frontier League titles, five divisional championships, four Section VI titles and one Western Conference title.

Along the way, Harvey earned numerous honors and awards, including the New York State Coaches Award (1986), the Section VI High School Sports Coach of the Year (1993) and ultimately, induction into the Kenmore West Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003.

Paul Fitzpatrick

A true South Buffalo legend, Fitzpatrick excelled in baseball, football and basketball at Bishop Timon High School in the mid 1960s. During his senior year of 1966, he was selected to the All-Catholic team in basketball and voted Most Valuable Player in both football and basketball.

Fitzpatrick's football prowess earned him a full scholarship to play at the University of Maryland, where he was recruited by another legend-to-be, coach Lou Saban. He was selected as the Unsung Hero for the University of Maryland football team his senior year.

Fitzpatrick returned to Western New York in 1970 and spent seven years as assistant football coach at Baker High School in Lackawanna. Later, he began his career as head football coach Timon, one that would continue for 28 years.

His Timon record of 161-84-5 set a school record. His win total ranks as 11th best in Western New York football history.

Billy Scherrer

Scherrer was a star baseball player at Cardinal O'Hara High School, earning All-Catholic and All-Western New York honors. In his senior season, he yielded just one earned run, garnering Parade Magazine Second Team All-American status in the process.

Originally drafted by Cleveland in 1976, he went on to play parts of seven seasons with Cincinnati and Detroit, pitching 311 innings in his career with 207 strikeouts and 11 saves. He would complete his career with the distinction of having earned three World Series rings with three different organizations.

His finest season was in 1983, when he appeared in 73 games for the Reds as their top reliever, earning 10 saves and striking out 57 batters in 92 innings. He would go on to earn his first World Series title with Detroit in 1984, appearing in 18 games down the stretch and three more in the World Series.

After his playing career ended, Scherrer became an area scout for the Florida Marlins, earning his second World Series ring in 1997. He earned his third ring as assistant to the general manager for the Chicago White Sox in 2005.

Rudy Pikuzinski

The son of a Polish immigrant, Pikuzinski was raised on the east side of Buffalo, where his father taught soccer to him and his brothers.

The Buffalo native was drafted by the Buffalo Stallions of the Major Indoor Soccer League, playing for them during the 1983-84 season, the Stallions' last as a franchise. Also in 1984, Pikuzinski appeared with the Buffalo Storm during its one year of operation in the U.S. Soccer League.

He became a fan favorite with the National Professional Soccer League's Buffalo Blizzard from 1992 to 2000. During his eight years with the Blizzard, Pikuzinski scored 317 goals and 823 points, the most in franchise history.

In between, Pikuzinski played with the MISL's Canton Invaders, where he won four championships and was named League MVP three years in a row. He also played for two years with the Cleveland Crunch from 1990 to 1992.

Jeremy Jacobs

The Jacobs family history in the sports industry spans nearly 100 years and, under the direction of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Jacobs, Delaware North Companies propelled to the industry forefront in the last four decades, ranked as one of the top sports and entertainment companies in the world.

Jacobs has become one of the most prominent sports industry figures in the world. He is consistently ranked as one of the most influential people in sports business and ranked in the top five most influential people in hockey as owner of the Boston Bruins and for his leadership on the NHL's Board of Governors.

As chair of the Negotiating Committee for the NHL, he is widely credited as the driving force behind the new collective bargaining agreement and the financial reengineering of the league.

Jacobs developed a private-arena finance model for major market cities to design and build sports arenas without the burden on the municipalities. He led the development of the FleetCenter in Boston and was a key advisor for the building of the HSBC Arena in Buffalo.

Jody Swanson Stark

As a young girl, Swanson learned the ropes of sailing from her father. But she would quickly set her own course for a successful competitive boating career that now spans more than two decades.

Her first championship was earned during her first year of competitive sailing, a Youth World Lightning Championship of 1984. From 1989 to 2005, Swanson added several more titles to her collection, including two U.S. Sailing Adams Cup Women's Championships, a gold medal at the 1990 Goodwill Games, a silver medal at the 1995 Pan-American Games and several Rolex International titles.

Twice, Swanson was named the Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, the most prestigious sailing award recognized worldwide for on-the-water achievement.

Swanson is also an accomplished coach, winning the 2004 Women's Nationals with a team of two junior sailors from the Buffalo Canoe Club.

Bobby Banck

By age 12, Banck was immersed in tennis and won the 12-and-under National Doubles title with Jimmy Arias. At age 14, he won the National 14-and-under Hard Court Singles and Doubles titles, and the National Clay Court Doubles title. He finished the year ranked fifth in the US in singles and first in the US in doubles.

After moving to Florida to attend the Nick Bolletieri Tennis Academy, Banck finished his junior career winning four national titles and later accepted a full scholarship to the University of Arkansas. He played professionally for approximately three years before retiring to coach.

Banck would add to his tennis legacy by coaching some of the best tennis players in the world, including Arias, Aaron Krickstein, Mary Jo Fernandez, Monica Seles and Mary Pierce. He also coached the USA team in the World Team Cup play in Germany.

He was inducted as a member of the inaugural class of the Buffalo Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005.