John Rosemier has experienced Hornell Sports Night from all angles.
Rosemier was a 9 year old attending Sports Night in 1995 when a photo of him getting an autograph from boxing legend Joe Frazier landed on the front page of the Evening Tribune.
“I’ve been in love with the event ever since,” Rosemier recalled.
Three decades later, Rosemier is among the dozen or so committee members who volunteer their time to make the event happen each year, continuing a Hornell tradition that stretches all the way back to 1974, save for a few years off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sports Night turned 50 in style on April 18, celebrating half a century of bringing some of the biggest names in professional sports to Hornell for an evening that celebrates the Canisteo Valley’s own star athletes while raising money for the Special Olympics and other causes.
The dais this year featured longtime Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, former Bills running back Willis McGahee, Olympian Kristine Lilly, and former big leaguer Tim Hudson, who spent a summer playing for the Hornell Dodgers back in 1994. The 50th anniversary event fittingly featured the largest investment in a head table in Sports Night history.
“I wanted to have Coach Boeheim come for quite awhile, being a local celebrity,” Rosemier said. “Getting Tim Hudson was really big for me too because of the local connection playing for the Dodgers in 1994.
“In that same year when they came back to Hornell after being gone for so long, my family started hosting Dodgers. I have vivid memories of Tim at my house when I was young. It’s really cool to see everything come full circle.”
What makes Sports Night special
Creating memories that last a lifetime, like Rosemier’s, is what Sports Night is all about … and what sets it apart.
Similar events in bigger cities have faded while Hornell’s remains strong.
“It’s one of the longest standing events like this in the country. Fifty years is crazy,” said Robert Peisher, who is now the committee’s longest-serving member at 39 years.
“We have some people from Elmira who used to run that event (the Elmira-Corning All Sports Banquet) before it ran out of steam because of the finances, and they’ll send us money because they know what we’re doing in keeping it going.”
Mike Brewer, who spent two decades on the committee before taking on a more limited role, has been to other events like Sports Night, but none can compare to Hornell when to comes to access to the athletes and bang for the buck.
“This is so much more intimate. This is rubbing shoulders with the athletes here,” Brewer said. “Other places keep the athletes away and very few people get to go in the room where they’re at. You had to pay for the dinner and extra for an autograph.
“Here, you get to talk to the athlete, get your picture taken with them and get their autograph. You can’t beat that. That’s the big difference, and we continue to go on. Mike Fucci’s legacy still rolls.”
Sports Night makes an impact in Canisteo Valley
Fucci was Sports Night’s longest-serving committee chairman, leading the charge for 35 years.
The volunteer committee has kept the event going strong for decades. Rich Scavo was asked to join when Fucci’s health was in decline and has served for 15 years, returning for the 2026 effort after a brief time away.
“To keep something going for 50 years is a milestone. Things don’t last that long,” Scavo said. “We’ve got something good. Supporting the Special Olympians and Canisteo Valley youth keeps us motivated. It’s an honor to be part of this committee, especially something that’s been around for 50 years.”
The Sports Night Committee works pro bono to raise thousands of dollars annually. While the Special Olympics is the primary beneficiary, other community causes also receive support, like the new Hornell girls wrestling program as it got off the ground.
Peisher estimated he has 50 hours into the 2026 event. The work isn’t limited to Sports Night, either; a ticket drawing in September is key to making the event financially feasible.
It’s all worth it on the big night as smiles light up the room and the only thing brighter than the star power is the joy of kids and adults getting the chance to meet childhood heroes.
“It’s all about raising money for the Special Olympics and youth sports. That’s the main goal. That’s what I’m part of this for,” Peisher said. “It’s a lot of work and we put many hours into this. It’s quite an event and there’s a lot of excitement. A lot of people look forward to it.”
What’s next for Sports Night
Peisher said the committee is exploring ways that Sports Night can possibly evolve over its next 50 years. The committee also works around a changing celebrity landscape. Today, many athletes have autograph deals in place that can complicate efforts to recruit them to Hornell for the night.
While Sports Night may change with the times, the committee is confident it is here to stay for another 50 years.
“It’s not going anywhere. We’re going to keep going full steam ahead with a great committee of dedicated people that care a lot,” Rosemier said. “We’ve got people who are interested in helping out in a lot of different ways. The sky is the limit for us. We continue to pack this place and God willing we’ll continue to do it for as long as we can.”
This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Sports Night leaders on what sets Hornell event apart, what’s next
Reporting by Chris Potter, Hornell Evening Tribune / The Evening Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
