A Gathering of Croatian American Sports Legends
The Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame Committee (CAS-HOF), organized by the National Federation of Croatian Americans Cultural Foundation (NFCACF), held its third induction ceremony and banquet on October 24, 2026. The event took place at Hrvatski Dom, also known as the Croatian Home, in Eastlake, Ohio.
The ceremony honored eight Croatian American athletes for their contributions to sports. Among the inductees was Stipe Miocic, identified as the greatest UFC Heavyweight World Champion. He was joined by Meri Abbado in master Olympian bodybuilding, Fred Arbanas in NFL football, Gary Beban as a Heisman Trophy winner, Bobby Grich as a six-time MLB All-Star, Jack Marin as an NBA All-Star, Rob Ninkovich as a two-time Super Bowl champion, and Johnny Pesky as a Boston Red Sox icon.
The gathering included family members, special guests, and friends of the honorees. Four national Croatian American presidents were present at the event: Steve Rukavina of the NFCACF, Ed Pazo of the Croatian Fraternal Union, Nikola Metes of the Association of Croatian American Professionals, and John Kraljic of the Croatian Academy of America.
Pjer Šimunović, the Croatian Ambassador to the United States, attended the ceremony and met with the celebrated honorees during the event.
Remote Tributes and Family Representations
Several inductees were represented by others or appeared remotely due to their locations. Gary Beban, the 1967 Heisman Trophy winner, accepted his award via a recorded video call.
Former NBA All-Star Shaquille O’Neil also participated via video call, referring to himself as “Šekil Onilovich” during his appearance.
Joe Castiglione represented inductee Johnny Pesky at the ceremony. Jake Arbanas accepted the award on behalf of his grandfather, Fred Arbanas, who was inducted posthumously.
Stipe Miocic expressed gratitude to his parents and wife during the induction. He cited his Croatian heritage and persistence as motivational factors in his career.