Today, ESPN announced Wednesday, August 19, as the date for the 2014 Fan Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The event will be hosted by SportsCenter anchor Kevin Negandhi and will take place on ESPN’s Main Campus in Bristol, Conn., at 12:00 p.m. ET.
During the ceremony, this year’s inductees will be honored with their names engraved above three stadium chairs on the lawn of ESPN’s campus.
The ESPN Fan Hall of Fame conducts a nationwide search and integrated campaign across all platforms to recognize three remarkable and inspiring sports fans. After ten finalists were selected by a diverse judging panel – including ESPN talent and last year’s winners – the three inductees received over two-thirds of the public vote earning their official bid to the Hall in December of 2014. The upcoming ceremony marks the conclusion of a successful third year of the program, which received thousands of applicants and drew over a half-million page views to the Fan Hall of Fame website.
The inductees include:
- John Chubb,famously known as “Buck-I-Guy” and the “caped-crusader of Buckeye Nation,” he grew up just three miles from Ohio Stadium in Columbus, OH. A die-hard Buckeye fan since the 1970s, Chubb is one of the most recognizable personalities in Columbus, wearing his custom red and white Ohio State outfit with a six-foot cape, 10 gallon hat and under-eye stickers. In addition to being renowned for his community service, Chubb is also considered a hero for saving two passengers from a burning car in 2005. “Now, I am not only considered a super-fan, but also a super-hero,” he said of the incident.
- Mary Mollerberg,a Boston Red Sox fan well before the advent of Television and Radio, she began listening to each radio broadcast in 1926. As a 104-year-old lifelong supporter of the team, Mollerberg considers herself blessed for witnessing three Red Sox World Series championships. While caring for her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and yes, great-great grandchildren, Mollerberg only got to attend her first game three years ago on her 100th birthday – the same year Fenway Park celebrated its 100th She was recognized by the team for her fandom during the game and remains a loyal Sox fan from her home in Maine.
- Daniel Ragsdale, regarded among all cadets and Army Athletics fans as the “Crazy Colonel,” he’s become a fixture at Army football and basketball games for over 15 years. A retired Army Colonel, Ragsdale was honored by the Corps of Cadets last year when they used his likeness on 4,400 T-shirts, which helped raise money for soldier charities. His dedicated support was also celebrated by the Army Athletic department which featured a photo of him on 40,000 tickets printed last year for the Army-Eastern Michigan game.
Last year’s inductees included Sacramento Kings’ fan Barbara Rust, famously known as “The Sign Lady,” Arkansas Razorbacks’ fan Canaan Sandy and the University of Georgia’s “Georgia Joker” Pierce Wallace.
The program’s first inductees were Vancouver Canucks fans and legendary Green Men “Sully” and “Force,” Baltimore Ravens icon “Captain Dee-Fense” and the University of Alabama softball team’s Emily Pitek.
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