A Message from the Chairman

As Chairman of the National Leadership Committee, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce you to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, a 501-c-3 nonprofit organization, located on Taylor Street in Chicago's Little Italy. Dedicated to "Preserving Honorable Values through Sports", the heart of the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame lies in our commitment to the future. The Hall of Fame seeks to pass on the values that drove Italian American immigrants to succeed to the next generation of young men and women, supporting community outreach and contributing over $6 million to scholarship programs that promote diversity, education, and the discipline and perseverance necessary to succeed both in sports and in life.

Italian immigrants came to the United States with a work ethic, dedication, and a sense of self-fulfillment that led them to succeed in many fields of endeavor, including every aspect of sport. They believed in the values of Family, Faith, Friends, and Community, which formed a strong foundation on which their communities would grow and thrive. The Italian immigrant narrative shares important parallels with every ethnic group that came - and are still coming - to America with the dream of a better life and a future full of possibilities for their children.

The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame chose sports - a universal pursuit and interest in any culture - to communicate the experiences of our Inductees and their impact and relevance in the present day. Like many athletes and leaders of today, our inductees represent the never-ending pursuit of the American Dream. Their stories of hard work, sacrifice, perseverance, teamwork and "championship" accomplishments educate and inspire the future Olympians, Heisman trophy winners, CEOs and public servants of our country through state- of-the-art, multi-media Hall of Fame experience.

Thanks to the commitment of our National Leadership Committee and the dedication of our members across the nation, we find ourselves on the doorstep of achieving our dream of a vibrant and thriving National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. Leadership has been instrumental in bringing us to the threshold of realizing our dream, and the present and future development of the Hall of Fame rests on dedicated members who share our devotion to the preservation of our values and to the education of future generations. It is with great pride that I invite you to learn more about our work and our organization, and it is my sincere hope that you will be able to see our Hall of Fame firsthand when you are in Chicago.

Yours in Heritage,

Jerry Colangelo