Three-time Super Bowl champion Julian Edelman, longtime broadcaster Al Michaels—known for his call of the 1980 “Miracle on Ice”—and basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman headline the 2026 class of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
The 20-member class, announced on Wednesday, also includes former NBA player Omri Casspi, Argentine world champion boxer Carolina Duer and Israeli Paralympian Zipora Rubin-Rosenbaum, a 31-time medalist.
Founded in 1981 as the successor to the American-only Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame honors athletes, coaches and contributors worldwide for excellence in sports and service to the Jewish community and Israel. More than 500 individuals have been inducted.
“Through their stories, showcasing the strength, resilience and achievements of Jewish athletes, we promote Jewish pride and inspire future generations,” the Hall says of its honorees.
The class of 2026 will be inducted on June 29 at Kfar Maccabiah in Ramat Gan.
Other honorees include veteran sportscaster Marv Albert; tennis player Jay Berger; Olympic champions Robert Fein of Austria (weightlifting, posthumous) and Dezső Földes of Hungary (fencing, posthumous); Israeli-American boxer Yuri Foreman; Australian Olympic gold medalist canoeist Noemie Fox; Israeli fencer Lydia Hatuel-Czuckermann; Auburn University men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl; major champion golfer Morgan Pressel; former Yeshiva University coach Red Sarachek (posthumous); NBA veteran Danny Schayes; Argentine tennis player Diego Schwartzman; Israeli Paralympic shooter Doron Shaziri; and Pro Football Hall of Famer Andre Tippett.
“I’ve always tried to represent the name on the front and the back of the jersey,” Pearl told JNS. “But the name on the back wasn’t just Pearl. It was the Jewish people. It was my family. I had to answer to a higher authority, and the bar was set higher.”
Pearl, who has coached teams to two NCAA Final Four appearances, said leading Maccabi USA to a gold medal at the 2009 Maccabiah Games remains a career highlight.
“I took 13 Jewish boys over and brought 13 Zionists back home,” he said.
Pearl told JNS he is “blown away by the incredibly talented and impactful” class of inductees and is “proud to be a member of their tribe.”
