Greater Cleveland Sports Awards

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

RENEE POWELL | 2023 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER PRESENTED BY UNION HOME MORTGAGE


LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Renee Powell will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Union Home Mortgage during the 24th Greater Cleveland Sports Awards.  Powell, the first woman recipient, will be honored at the program presented by Medical Mutual and Ancora, which will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (RMFH).

Powell was raised on Clearview Golf Club, located in East Canton, Ohio, built by her father, William “Bill” Powell, during times of racial adversity and segregation. The course was the first facility designed, constructed, owned, and operated by an African American. By the age of three, Powell was swinging a golf club for the first time, and early in her teenage years she had won more than 30 tournaments. In 1967, she became the second African American woman to compete on the LPGA Tour. As a tour player she competed in more than 250 professional tournaments and won the 1973 Kelly Springfield Open in Brisbane, Australia. 

Watch Renee Powell and Clearview Legacy Video

Following her time on the LPGA Tour, Powell dedicated her life to diversifying the game of golf and inclusion in the game. She became an International Goodwill Ambassador traveling to Africa on more than 25 trips to host golf clinics. She has also committed her life to expanding golf to more youth, women, seniors, minorities, and military veterans. In 2011, she launched Clearview HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) a cost-free, year-round therapeutic and recreational golf program specifically for women veterans. As a sought-after public speaker, Renee has informed, inspired, and enlightened countless audiences locally, nationally, and internationally. 

Renee has earned countless awards during her more than five decades in the game of golf. In 2015, she became one of two American women initially given honorary membership into the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland. Some of her other notable awards include being named PGA of America First Lady of Golf, the LPGA Rolex For the Love of the Game Award, the PGA Tour Card Walker Award, the USGA Ike Grainger Award, the LPGA Pioneer Award, the Donald Ross Award, and the Charles Bartlett Award. In 2008, Renee became the third American, and the only woman golfer, to receive an honorary doctorate from The University of St. Andrews in its now 600-plus year history. In 2018, the university also bestowed a rare honor making her the first American to have a building named in her honor, Renee Powell Hall. In 2010, The University of Maryland Eastern Shore awarded Renee with an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service. In 2022, the World Golf Hall of Fame made Renee the inaugural recipient of the Charlie Sifford Award for Advancing Diversity in the Game of Golf.

Renee has also made strides in other areas of the golf industry including fashion and broadcasting. While living in London, England, she was one of the first women golfers to design her own clothing line. She has also commentated on numerous golf tournaments on both CBS and ABC. 

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Today, Renee is the LPGA/PGA Head Golf Professional at Clearview Golf Club, where she and her brother, Larry, a life member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), are keeping their father’s legacy of “Golf for Everyone” alive. Renee's work extends throughout her community as a member of several boards including the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Mercy Medical Center, and Pathway Caring for Children, as well as a member of Rotary International.

The Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Union Home Mortgage is given to a person who has dedicated their lives to the advancement of sports in Cleveland. Past recipients have ranged from former Guardians’ franchise greats and Browns legends to high school football coaches in the region.

Sports Awards is the premier annual sports fundraiser supporting Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and celebrates a year of athletic achievements in Northeast Ohio from high school stars to professional athletes.

Hosted by ESPN Broadcaster/Commentator Holly Rowe, Cleveland’s sports scene will gather for a night of networking, libations, appearances from local and national sports celebrities and a live awards show mirrored on the venue’s big screen.

Recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award include:

2002 – Jim Brown, former running back, Cleveland Browns
2003 – Mark H. McCormack, Founder, International Management Group (IMG)
2004 – Bob Feller, former pitcher, Cleveland Indians
2005 – Richard Jacobs, former owner, Cleveland Indians
2006 – Herb Score, former pitcher & announcer, Cleveland Indians
2007 – Joe Tait, former broadcaster, Cleveland Cavaliers
2008 – Chuck Kyle, Head Football Coach, St. Ignatius High School
2009 – Bob Kain, former CEO, IMG
2010 – Dr. John A. Bergfeld. M.D., Senior Orthopedic Surgeon & team physician, Cleveland Clinic
2011 – Reggie Rucker, former wide receiver, Cleveland Browns
2012 – Austin Carr, former guard & current broadcaster, Cleveland Cavaliers
2013 – Bernie Kosar, former quarterback, Cleveland Browns
2014 – Tom Hamilton, sportscaster & announcer, Cleveland Indians
2015 – Jim Donovan, radio & TV personality, WKYC & Cleveland Browns
2016 – Mike Hargrove, former first baseman & manager, Cleveland Indians
2017 – Zydrunas Ilgauskas, former center, Cleveland Cavaliers
2018 – Sandy Alomar Jr., coach and former catcher, Cleveland Indians
2019 – Dolan Family, owners, Cleveland Indians
2021 – CC Sabathia, pitcher, Cleveland Indians
2022 – Ted Ginn, Sr., head football coach, Glenville High School

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