Jack Turben’s passion for sports, dating back to League Park, shaped a deep belief in what sports can be: transformative, inclusive and enduring. He is a builder of institutions and cultivator of opportunity. A lifelong racquet sports enthusiast, his love for squash has helped reshape the sport’s footprint in Cleveland. His decades long commitment and […]
A product of Massillon Washington and the first high school athlete to be featured on a Wheaties box, Chris Spielman went on to be a standout three-time All-American linebacker at Ohio State. Drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 1988 NFL Draft, Spielman carved out an illustrious pro career. A first […]
An East Tech star, Wanda Ford was an All-American at Drake University, leading led the Bulldogs to two NCAA Tournaments. Ford became the first to record 1,500 rebounds in NCAA Women’s history—setting the record with 1,887 boards. During the 1986 season, she set the record for most points in a single season with 919. Ford […]
Tianna Madison was a standout at Elyria High, winning nine state titles. During her time at the University of Tennessee, she captured SEC & NCAA titles. The track star took her talents to the Olympic level. Tianna Madison captured her first Olympic gold in 2012, where she ran the women’s 4 x 100 relay. Madison […]
Stipe Miocic was a dual sport athlete during his time in college, becoming an NCAA Wrestling Tournament qualifier at Cleveland State and hitting .344 on the baseball diamond at Trevecca Nazarene. His star began to shine as he turned his attention to Mixed Martial Arts. Miocic reached the pinnacle of the sport, capturing the UFC […]
Jim Donovan grew up in the Boston area aspiring to be a hockey play-by-play announcer. It turned out that calling games at the NHL level of the sport he most loved as a kid was one of the few things he didn’t accomplish in his long and illustrious career. After radio stints in Minnesota and […]
Cheryl White was just 17 years old when she dared to become the first female Black jockey in history in 1971 at Thistledown Racetrack in Cleveland, Ohio. With her chestnut thoroughbred Jetolara, bred and trained by her father Raymond, she went on to become the first female Black jockey to ever win a race too, […]
Anderson Varejão joined the Cavaliers as a Player Development Consultant and Global Ambassador in August 2022. He is responsible for assisting the Cavaliers in their ongoing mission to grow the game of basketball globally, while engaging with coaches and Cavaliers players in varying on-court development roles during the season. He also travels internationally for basketball […]
A 2006 graduate of Cleveland State University, Holly Koester served in the U.S. Army from 1981 to 1991 until she was injured. She is the first person to complete a marathon in all 50 states from a wheelchair. Koester is currently working on her second tour of marathons in all 50 states. She won six Gold Medals in […]