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Letter from 
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The 8th Annual Athletes with Disabilities Hall of Fame Induction & Awards Ceremony was held at the Troy Marriott hotel on November 9th, 2006. Tony Filippis, Sr., founder of Wright & Filippis, established the Hall of Fame to celebrate the achievements of outstanding athletes and community leaders who have achieved their goals while inspiring future generations.
"Big Al" Muskavito from the Dick Purtan Show on The Motor City's Oldies 104.3 WOMC, served as emcee. While showing great appreciation for the ceremony, "Big Al" also brought a unique comic flare to the event. The national colors were presented by the American Legion Post 216, Milford, where Joseph Salvia serves as Post Commander. Nadia Harris of Grosse Pointe awed the crowd of approximately 400 with her moving rendition of the National Anthem, and a thoughtful Invocation was led by Fr. Bob McCabe from St. Mary's of Redford. Steve Mariucci, former Detroit Lions head coach and the 2006 Honorary Chairman, presented the inductees with their awards.
The 2006 inductees included Cliff Crase, former member of the United States Wheelchair Team; Michael "MJ" McColgan, a Special Olympics Northern California Global Ambassador and California state Special Olympics golf champion; The late Walter Runchey, who was a member of the Ann Arbor Wheelchair Sports team for nearly two decades; and Paul Schulte, the youngest wheelchair basketball player ever to be named to the USA Gold Cup team. The Great Lakes Storm, the team that has put quad- rugby on the map in the state of Michigan, was presented with the 2006 Athletes of the Year Award. Jarrod Starkey, a three-track skier, was presented with the 2006 Mark "Doc" Andrews Rising Star Award for his training and competing through programs such as Michigan Sports Unlimited and Michigan Adaptive Sports. Richard Bernstein was presented with the 2006 Rick Knas Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions in the fight for the rights of all persons with disabilities.
The Keynote Speaker, Zoe Koplowitz, was an inspiration and one of the highlights of the evening. Zoe is the award wining author of "The Winning Spirit – Life Lessons Learned in Last Place". Although she lives with the daily challenges of both Multiple Sclerosis and Diabetes, Zoe has successfully completed a total of 20 marathons. Her 33-hour 9-minute effort in one event has set a world record for the longest marathon in the history of women's running. As a 9/11 survivor, Zoe shared her personal and heartfelt story in which the moral was to never give up. The audience was clearly moved and gave her a well-deserved standing ovation.
Through the recognition of athletic excellence, the Hall of Fame once again created an opportunity to help people with disabilities to reach their full potential.