Source: The Detroit News
The 35th annual National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame Induction banquet is at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Polish Cultural Center, located at Maple Road and Dequindre in Troy.
Tickets are $100 and can be ordered at (248) 588-5333.
Former major league pitcher Ray Sadecki , wrestling legend Walter “Killer” Kowalski , swimmer Chet Jastremski and pro football star Tom Sestak have been elected.
The four new members bring the Hall of Fame roster to 107. It was founded in 1973, and former St. Louis Cardinal baseball great Stan Musial was the first inductee.
Sadecki pitched 18 years in the major leagues (1960–77) for six teams, mostly with the Cardinals, Giants and Mets.
He had a career record of 135-131, with an ERA of 3.78 and 1,614 strikeouts in 2,500 innings pitched. In 1964, Sadecki led the Cardinals to a World Series title, compiling a 20-11 record during the regular season.
Kowalski’s career spanned 30 years. He defeated “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers for the NWA Texas heavyweight title in 1950. Kowalski went on to win dozens of Canadian, American and World Titles while competing in more than 6,000 bouts.
Kowalski has been inducted into WWE, Ring Chronicles and ECW Halls of Fame.
Jastremski revolutionized the breaststroke style. While attending Indiana University, Jastremski won 16 national AAU Championships and set nine individual world records and 17 individual national records. He swam to a gold medal at the 1963 Pan Am Games and bronze at the ’64 Olympics. His accomplishments earned him the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in 1962, recognized as the “World’s Best Swimmer.”
Sestak was a 17th-round pick out of McNeese State who became the cornerstone of the Buffalo Bills 1964 and ’65 American Football League Championship teams. He was voted a four-time AFL All-Star.
