MLB All-Star and World Series Champion Player & Manager. In 10 seasons as the Yankees’ manager, Joe Girardi guided New York to six Postseason appearances and a World Series Championship in 2009. Girardi managed the Florida Marlins in 2006, winning the NL Manager of the Year Award in his managerial debut. Born in Peoria, Illinois, Chicagoland native...

Head Men’s Basketball Coach at St. Joseph High School – became all time win leader in Illinois during February 2017. Gene Pingatore was born and raised in Cicero, Illinois, the son of Annette and Frank Pingatore. While at St. Mel’s High School, Gene was an Honors student and three year varsity letter winner in basketball and a member of the 1954 Ci...

Earlier today, the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) announced that Tony DeMarco (58-12-1, 33 KOs) would be inducted with the Class of 2019. Induction weekend will take place June 6-9 of next year at the IBHOF’s headquarters in Canastota, NY. A resident of Boston’s North End neighborhood, DeMarco, known throughout the boxing world as “The F...

One of this area's most accomplished baseball players was selected to join a hall of fame. No, not that Hall of Fame, the one into which Peoria native Jim Thome was inducted earlier this year. But it's still a pretty formidable hall. Former big-league player and former and probably future big-league manager Joe Girardi, the pride of East Peoria, wa...

Welcome to the “The Grid,” the Chicago Sun-Times’ in-depth look at Chicago neighborhoods. Today’s stop: Little Italy. Located four miles west of downtown Chicago, Little Italy was the first stop for many Italian immigrants arriving to the city in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  Filled with family-owned shops, restaurants and churches, it was the h...

Former Columbia University men’s soccer player and Cosmos owner Rocco B. Commisso will be inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in Chicago Saturday, Nov. 3. Commisso, the founder, chairman and CEO of Mediacom, will be enshrined alongside former New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, MMA legend Gina Carano and Illinois high...

The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame has a stellar crop of inductees and honorees on tap for its 41st annual gala on Nov. 3 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. (312-226-5566) The NIASHF Class of 2018 includes Gina Carano, Rocco B. Commisso, Joe Girardi and Gene Pingatore. Perry Mandera will be honored as the Sportsman of the Year. The progra...

Gene Pingatore still can’t quite believe that in November he’ll be among the inductees into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. “I am totally honored and extremely humbled,” he says. “When you think about it, I’m a high school coach. And here I go to the hall of fame with all my heroes who are there — Joe DiMaggio, Rocky Marciano. It...

The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame is proud to announce inductees and honorees for the 41st Annual Induction & Awards Gala to take place at a dinner on Saturday, November 3, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. The program will be emceed by 2016 Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Piazza and New York Mets Radio Announcer Wayne Randazzo. The NIASHF...

The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame is proud to announce inductees and honorees for the 41st Annual Induction & Awards Gala to take place at a dinner on Saturday, November 3rd, in the Crystal Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.  The program will be emceed by 2016 Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Piazza and New York Mets Radio Announcer...