Rick Barry, Dave Stewart to be honored by Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame
Rick Barry and Dave Stewart, who each helped bring world championships to Oakland, will be among the honorees at the Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame’s 24th annual Bay Area induction and award ceremony in downtown Oakland on Saturday night.
The basketball Hall of Famer Barry and the 1989 World Series MVP Stewart, along with former Denver Broncos defensive lineman and Super Bowl champion Ryan McBean, will be recipients of the inaugural Curt Flood Platinum Award, which honors athletes for their excellence in sports and society.
The Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame will induct its Class of 2024, featuring former major league All-Star infielder Bip Roberts from Oakland, who now serves as an A’s TV analyst. Clifford Ray, Barry’s Warriors teammate and fellow 1975 world champion, will enter the Hall 13 years after Barry’s induction. The other inductees Saturday include former Cal basketball and WNBA standout Alexis Gray-Lawson and 1972 Olympic triple-jumper and 5-time NCAA champion Mhinder Singh Gill of Turlock. Ex-Packers record-setting kick returner Travis Williams of Richmond will be honored posthumously.
The banquet and ceremony will be held from 5:45 p.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday at the George P. Scotlan Convention Center at Oakland’s Marriott City Center Hotel. The emcees for the evening are KPIX-TV newscasters Vernon Glenn and Juliette Goodrich.
The award named after Flood is the brainchild of Arif Khatib, the Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame’s founder and noted author, who wanted to pay homage to the man who’s contribution to Major League Baseball went far beyond his exploits on the field – where Flood was a seven-time Gold Glove outfielder, three-time All-Star and two-time world champion with St. Louis. Flood’s fight for players’ rights led to free agency in the major leagues, then the NFL, NBA and NHL.
There are still tickets remaining for the event Saturday, which begins at 5:45 p.m. with a no-host cocktail hour, followed by dinner at 6:45 p.m. and then the ceremonies at 7:45. General tickets are $250; tickets for seniors (65-and-over) are $150 and can be purchased online at www.multiethnicsports.com. Tables can also be reserved.
Proceeds from the event go directly to the Hall of Fame’s after-school and mental health initiatives.
In addition, fans can meet and chat with Barry on Friday night at San Leandro’s Rickey’s Sports Lounge. There’s no admission price and Barry will be signing autographs at no cost beginning around 6:45 p.m. and during the 7 p.m. TV broadcast of the Warriors’ game vs. Charlotte.