The California Sports Hall of Fame 2025 Induction Gala was held on June 29TH at the Ontario Convention Center. CASHOF is a non-profit organization established in 2006 by founder, Christian Okoye, former all-pro NFL running back for the Kansas City Chiefs. The organization was formed to honor sports heroes, support struggling athletes, and highlight California sports history.
Okoye explained his personal inspiration for the organization came as a way to connect youth through sports and education.
“The inspiration came as a way to help kids because somebody helped me out of Nigeria. I was helping kids and working with kids with my foundation, but I thought that a California Sports Hall of Fame would be big enough to reach more kids.”
Eric Dickerson, 2007 inductee and Pro Football Hall of Famer, explained his admiration for Okoye and the California Sports Hall of Fame.
“I was really glad when Christian did this, I was one of the first inductees. I think it’s been great because, like he said, there’s nothing like this here in Southern California. There’s a lot of great athletes that come out of Southern Cal, and a lot of sports here.”
The gala kicked off with an introduction from the Master of Ceremonies, Mike Lindskog, and continued with a remembrance for 2016 baseball inductee, Fernando Valenzuela, who passed in October of 2024. He was honored by special guest and former Dodger teammate, Orel Hershiser.
“Fernando is a very special individual to this whole city, the whole world of baseball, and to lose him was a huge loss. I know his impact on the Latino community and the Los Angeles Dodgers was off the charts, but his impact on the locker room as a friend and as a teammate were even bigger if you could believe that. When I think about him and his impact, I can see it and I hear about it all the time, but I think about him as a person, as a golf mate that I played with, as a guy I played catch with, and as a guy I knew ever since AA. That friendship went back and goes back a long way.”
The long-awaited induction began with “Sugar” Shane Mosely, and while he could not attend himself, his father and cousin who trained him, were there on his behalf. Jesse Sapulo, Paul Caligiuri, and Janet Evans followed, all of which were there to be recognized. The final recipient was Ron Brown who could not attend due to health struggles. His daughter received his award and spoke about his achievements.
After the ceremony, Janet Evans spoke about her reaction to being the tenth woman to be inducted into the California Sports Hall of Fame.
“It’s so great. California has been where I trained for all three of my Olympics. To be the only female this evening honored was really great for all us girls out there and to show that women are great in sports as well, and that we have equal opportunities to be very good at what we’re doing.”
Jesse Sapolu also spoke about his mindset going into the NFL with a lingering heart condition. He explained that he had a heart murmur as a child, but if doctors were going to let him play, then he was never going to complain. He played until the valve was so damaged that it needed to be repaired. He’s grateful that there was a procedure that allowed him to return to the field.
As for the induction, Sapolu was extremely honored.
“It’s not about me, it’s about thanking the people that got me here. I’m sure Christian [Okoye] does the same thing. I’m from an island, he’s from an island, and we came here for opportunities. There were people that helped us get there and we just want to return the favor.”
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California Sports Hall of Fame
