The annual Sports Night at the Italian-American Civic Association has hosted some heavy hitters as guest speakers over the years, such as Syracuse University basketball coach Jim Boeheim; Bobby Valentine and Tommy John of Major League Baseball fame and Hall of Fame boxer Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini.

But for this year’s Sports Night on Wednesday, June 22, attention will turn to the lingering influence on the community a local legend created, with the daughter of that legend guest speaker. On Thursday, the annual William I. Graf Award will be presented to the top graduating athletes, a boy and a girl, at Watertown High School.