Two coaches and two former professional athletes with ties to Miami Lakes or Optimist Park youth sports programs will be inducted to the town’s Sports Hall of Fame on Dec. 9.
The Miami Lakes Sports Hall of Fame Committee announced the Class of 2023:
--Bill Arnsparger led college football teams and was athletic director at the University of Florida. In the NFL, he was a defensive coordinator credited with the No Name Defense and was on the coaching staffs for the 1972 and 1973 Super Bowl championship-winning Miami Dolphins. A Miami Laker, his children played in Optimist programs. He died in 2015.
--Samari Rolle played football and basketball at Optimist Park. A cornerback, he played college football at Florida State and in the NFL, played for the Tennessee Titans and the Baltimore Ravens. He retired in 2009.
--Adrian Cardenas played baseball at Optimist Park and for Monsignor Edward Pace High School. In the major league, he played second base for the Chicago Cubs. He retired in 2012.
--Town resident Jose Enriquez was the first soccer coach at Hialeah-Miami Lakes High School and was the first coach to win both the Greater Miami Athletic Conference and a state championship in the same year, 1978. He was the first principal of Jose Marti Middle School and retired in 2000.
The induction ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Optimist Park Clubhouse, 6411 NW 162nd St. It is free to attend and open to the public. Register at TOML.Eventbrite.com.
For more information, contact Austin Tubbs, Parks and Athletics manager, at tubbsa@miamilakes-fl.gov.