Pete Rose, Tim Donaghy Among Class Of 2015 Inductees For Sports Betting Hall Of Fame

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ—Joining such greats as Green Bay Packers running back Paul Hornung and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson of the 1919 Chicago White Sox, former Cincinnati Reds star Pete Rose and retired NBA referee Tim Donaghy were among the inductees enshrined Monday evening in the Sports Betting Hall of Fame. “It is my incredible honor to recognize the life’s work of the class of 2015, each of whom brought gambling on professional sports to a whole new level,” chairman Phillip DiCarmine said in his opening speech at the Hotel Borgata Casino, adding that the whistle Donaghy used during the 2007 NBA playoffs would be added to the hall’s memorabilia collection, as would Pete Rose’s betting slips from the final few years of his Major League Baseball career. “Although sports betting has seen scores of exceptional oddsmakers, loan sharks, and gambling-addicted athletes, this hall is reserved for the greatest of all time. The men whose busts will now adorn Atlantic City will be forever remembered for how they successfully covered the spread, and for their relentless pursuit of perfection when placing multiple-team parlays.” Reached for comment, Rose acknowledged that his induction into the Hall of Fame marks his proudest moment, and one that he had been working toward his entire life.