The Miami Lakes Sports Hall of Fame inducted the Class of 2025 at Miami Lakes Optimist Park.
The annual ceremony honors athletes, coaches and community leaders who have ties to Miami Lakes.
“As far as the class, we thought it was really good, we thought it was very balanced,” Committee Secretary Jim Hamilton said about the event held on Dec. 13.
The inductees were Don Bailey Jr., Joe Weber, Rivers Demby and Karyna Cid.
Bailey and Cid were chosen for the athlete category, Demby as a community builder and Weber in the coaching category. Cid previously served as a member of the committee.
Bailey played football at Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School under coaches Joe Brodsky and Mike Uspensky.
He was a center at the University of Miami for coach Howard Schnellenberger and played in parts of two NFL seasons. (Uspensky and Schnellenberger both were inducted to the Hall’s Class of 2020.)
Bailey is a color analyst for the Miami Hurricanes’ football broadcast team. He runs the Don Bailey Flooring company founded by his father (who is retired and lives in South Florida).
Demby was the first president of the Optimist Club of Miami Lakes, served on the board for six years and was instrumental in forming the structure and management of the club, what youth sports were offered and recruiting parents to coach. He still advises the club when needed.
Weber has won more than 600 games as the baseball coach at Christopher Columbus High School, with two FHSAA state championships in a span of 27 seasons.
A Miami Lakes resident for more that 15 years, he has spent several summers working with Optimist Club coaches.
Cid was a third-team All-Dade selection by The Miami Herald after averaging 20 points and 6.8 assists per game as a senior in 2004-05 at Barbara Goleman Senior High School.
She played basketball at Warner University in Lake Wales, Fla. and is a physical education teacher and coach at Hialeah Gardens High School.
“We had a good turnout…because Joe Weber is a resident in Miami Lakes [and] Karyna Cid is a resident of the area and Don Bailey Jr. brought a host of fans,” Hamilton said.
He said Demby attracted residents from New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach to watch him enter the Hall.
Exquisite Catering by Robert provided a buffet of Italian dishes.
“It was an expanded menu, and it was quite good for serving that many people,” Hamilton said.
The committee hopes to continue growing the ceremony audience for 2026 and future years.
“We would like the public to attend this event, we try to make it inviting,” Hamilton said.
He would also like to see former inductees attend to welcome new classes.
In addition to Hamilton, Roman Garcia, Jr. chairs the committee, Miriam Ochoa is vice chair and David Oliver, Marcos Gutierrez and Ryan Holland are members.
Ocean Bank, Miami Lakes AutoMall and The Graham Companies were presenting sponsors.
- Photos by Tico Casamayor