Posted February 06, 2025 in Press Releases
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 25TH GREATER CLEVELAND SPORTS AWARDS
CLEVELAND, OH – Feb. 6, 2025 – The 25th Annual Greater Cleveland Sports Awards, presented by Medical Mutual and Ancora, announced the best of Cleveland sports in 2024 on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Sports Awards is the premier annual sports fundraiser that supports Greater Cleveland Sports Commission (GCSC) and celebrates a year of athletic achievements in Northeast Ohio from high school stars to professional athletes.
Watch the opening video for the 25th Greater Cleveland Sports Awards.
Highlights from tonight’s show included Donovan Mitchell receiving the Professional Athlete of the Year Award presented by KeyBank. The award was presented by ESPN Cleveland radio personality Tony Rizzo and former member of the Cleveland Cavaliers Daniel “Booby” Gibson. Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman accepted the award on behalf of Donovan Mitchell, who was unable to attend in-person. [VIDEO OF DONOVAN MITCHELL’S ACCEPTANCE SPEECH]
Members of the Cleveland Charge – Sean McNeil, Feron Hunt and Elijah Hughes – presented the Collegiate Athletes of the Year Awards presented by H. Jack’s Plumbing & Heating Co.
Local NBC affiliate WKYC 3News anchor Jay Crawford and Cleveland Browns radio host Nathan Zegura joined together on stage for a special tribute as part of the renaming of the Jim Donovan Courage Award presented by Cleveland Clinic Sports Medicine. [VIDEO]
Veteran sports broadcaster and Cleveland native Chris Rose moderated a special fireside chat, reflecting on memorable moments from the 1995 American League Championship season. National Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Thome, along with Cleveland baseball legends Charles Nagy, Kenny Lofton, and Mike Hargrove, joined Rose for this reunion.
Former members of the Cleveland Browns Hanford Dixon and Dawand Jones teamed up to award the High School Athletes of the Year presented by University Hospitals Sports Medicine to Quinn Woidke and Riley LaVogue.
The Cleveland Guardians 2024 Post Season was announced as the 2024 Best Moment in Cleveland Sports presented by JACK. Former members of the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) Rajai Davis and Jensen Lewis teamed up to present the award. [VIDEO]
Dan Gilbert, chairman of the Cleveland Cavaliers and founder and chairman of Rocket Companies, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Cleveland-Cliffs. [VIDEO]
Winners from each category were announced live at the event. Each award recipient is highlighted under their respective category.
Male High School Athlete of the Year presented by University Hospitals Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute
Marquise Davis, Cleveland Heights High School, Football
Quinn Woidke, Saint Ignatius High School, Basketball
Marcus Johnson, Garfield Heights High School, Basketball
Female High School Athlete of the Year presented by University Hospitals Drusinsky Sports Medicine Institute
Grace Kingery, North Ridgeville High School, Basketball
Riley LaVogue, Bay Village High School, Lacrosse
Annabelle Groomes, Saint Joseph Academy, Volleyball
Male Collegiate Athlete of the Year presented by H. Jack's Plumbing & Heating Co. "The Super Plumber!"
Joey Marousek, Baldwin Wallace University, Baseball (North Royalton High School)
Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green State University, Football (McKinley High School)
Luke Chicone, John Carroll University, Basketball (Mentor High School)
Female Collegiate Athlete of the Year presented by H. Jack's Plumbing & Heating Co. "The Super Plumber!"
Mandy Leigh, University at Buffalo, Volleyball (Padua Franciscan High School)
Lora Clarke, University of Michigan, Field Hockey (Shaker Heights High School)
Melissa Holzopfel, Cleveland State University, Softball (Perry High School)
Professional Athlete of the Year presented by KeyBank
José Ramírez, Cleveland Guardians, Third Base
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers, Shooting Guard
Katie Moon, USA Track and Field Team, Pole Vault (Olmsted Falls High School)
Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns, Cornerback
Recipients of additional awards for the 25th Greater Cleveland Sports Awards are as follows:
Jim Donovan Courage Award presented by Cleveland Clinic Sports Medicine
Josiah Saunders, Avon High School, Football
Sports Development Award
Huntington Convention Center
Senior Athlete Award presented by Medical Mutual
Cindy Wildman, Marathoner and Triathlete
Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Cleveland-Cliffs
Dan GIlbert, Chairman of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Founder & Chairman of Rocket Companies [VIDEO]
Best Moment in Cleveland Sports presented by JACK Entertainment
Cleveland Guardians 2024 Postseason [VIDEO]
The evening culminated with a special presentation by Greater Cleveland Sports Commission CEO David Gilbert and former Board Chairs, announcing since 2000, GCSC has attracted 260+ sporting events, which have generated $1 billion in economic activity to Northeast Ohio.
For more information, visit clevelandsportsawards.com.