CINCINNATI (March 26, 2024) – Co-founder of San Antonio Sports Bill Hanson will be honored as a member of the 2024 class to be enshrined into the Sports ETA Hall of Fame at the organization’s annual symposium in April. Hanson will join Janis Burke, CEO of the Harris County – Houston Sports Authority and John Gibbons, former executive director of the Rhode Island Sports Commission.
The Sports ETA Hall of Fame is a lifetime achievement award recognizing long-standing and significant accomplishments in, and major contributions to, the industry trade association, Sports ETA, and the overall sports tourism industry. The Sports ETA Hall of Fame was launched in 2017, and there have been five induction classes with 18 honorees.
“Sports ETA is honored to welcome Bill Hanson into the association’s prestigious Hall of Fame,” said John David, president & CEO of Sports ETA. “Over Bill’s 42-year distinguished career in the sports events and tourism industry, he made a major impact in the San Antonio sporting community that he loved, and throughout our industry as a leader of our association.”
“San Antonio Sports would not be what it is today without Bill’s contributions to the organization from the very beginning,” said Jenny Carnes, president & CEO of San Antonio Sports. “Bill literally wrote the book on sport event management, and his expertise in our field and standard of excellence elevated San Antonio Sports year after year. His legacy continues to live on through current staff members he trained and mentored.”
Bill Hanson is a co-founder of San Antonio Sports where he retired from after a 42-year career in amateur and professional sport organizations, primarily in event management and operations. Born and raised in Vermont he came to San Antonio in the U.S. Army and assigned to the U.S. Modern Pentathlon Training Center at Fort Sam Houston. In subsequent years he was executive director of the USMP Association, sport manager at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, assistant competition director at the Atlanta Olympics and technical director at Pan American and Goodwill Games and four U.S. Olympic Sports Festivals. In his 22 years on the staff of San Antonio Sports, his job was internal operations and event bids and management. He directed sport operations for the 1989 AAU Jr. Olympic Games, was vice president of operations for the U.S. Olympic Festival ’93 and directed numerous NCAA, NGB, Big 12 Conference and other events hosted and created by San Antonio Sports. Hanson served for years with Sports ETA on the board and executive committee and was chairman from 2007-08.
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