The hall will be located at Urban Community School’s Roundstone Athletic Center, 2025 W. 47th St., in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. Its public unveiling is set to come at the annual induction ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
“It’s been a lot of fun; I learned a lot,” said Tom Hablitzel, a former Sherwin-Williams executive who sits on the hall of fame’s executive board. He’s been instrumental in researching the scores of individuals who have been inducted over the years.
“We’re in the eighth inning now, cranking out the display cases, getting the artifacts,” he said.
Related: Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame announces 2025 inductees
The Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame is getting a permanent brick and mortar home.Marc Bona, cleveland.com
Hablitzel said he and fellow organizers “dug into the history” to curate a tasteful, inclusive and approachable hall of fame to commemorate athletes who made a mark on the region in a variety of sports and eras.
“When someone walks in the door, there’s 540 inductees and 2,000 square feet. We want ’em to look around and say ‘Everyone’s here,’” he said.
The hall of fame, Hablitzel said, “is just the beginning. We want people to come, kids to come and get involved. We want our inductees to come and teach and be engaged with kids. This is kind of the beginning in many ways.”
The hall honors many recognizable individuals like Carol Heiss Jenkins, royalty in the pantheon of figure skating and who was inducted in 2001. She stopped by the hall on a recent day to donate artifacts from her stellar career. Heiss Jenkins won a silver medal at the 1956 Olympics and a gold in 1960.
“I’m willing to give everything but the Olympic gold medal,” laughed Heiss Jenkins, whose husband Hayes Jenkins also was inducted for figure skating.
Olympic champion Carol Heiss Jenkins shows off a sweater she is donating to the hall of fame.Marc Bona, cleveland.com
But maybe more importantly, it also shines a spotlight on folks who might not be household names but who left incredible marks on fields and courts across Greater Cleveland.
Displays will include a box of Wheaties cereal featuring Jack Trice, a Hiram-born, East Tech High School graduate who went to Iowa State University and was killed as a result of racial violence on the gridiron. Iowa State’s football stadium is the only one in Division I to be named after a Black man.
Related: Only 1 Division I football stadium is named after a Black man, and he’s from Cleveland
Elmer Gedeon played football at Michigan with the legendary Tom Harmon. He was one of two Major Leaguers killed in World War II. Johnny Kilbane, the great Cleveland boxer and dynastic champion, is part of the hall. Jamie Milkovich is donating a full Maple Heights High School wrestling uniform. Milkovich was a longtime coach who retired in 2024.
Many of the inductees broke barriers: J. Elmer Reed helped integrate bowling. Marion Motley and Bill Wills were the first Black players on the Browns. Renee Powell was the second African American to compete on the LPGA Tour and the first African American woman to become a member of the PGA.
George Vlosich's mural spans a wall. Lou Groza is shown kicking over Jesse Owens lining up to race.Marc Bona, cleveland.com
“Story after story after story are stacked up here,” Hablitzel said.
It’s more than just a few artifacts and list of names. Interactive components will keep fans tuned in.
A “You Make the Call” booth will offer visitors a chance to choose one of eight plays, listen to the original call by a Cleveland broadcaster and record their own. Tom Hamilton (Guardians), Jim Donovan (Browns) and Joe Tait (Cavaliers) are among the announcers with available calls like
Tyler Naquin’s inside-the-park grand slam in 2016. Hablitzel said they borrowed the idea from a similar booth at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
Tom Hablitzel shows off the height-comparison display.Marc Bona, cleveland.com
A height-comparison board marks feet and inches so folks can match their height vs. athletes like former Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas (7-3), boxer Vonda Ward (6-6) or Cheryl White (5-4), the first African-American female jockey.
Trivia reels will play, and visitors can look up all 540 inductees by sport or year.
George Vlosich’s vibrant, colorful mural emblazons a wall, highlighting several athletes. You’ll see Lou Groza kicking, Bernie Kosar fading back and a determined Katie Moon ready for her pole-vault approach.
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