Sports icons Muhammad Ali, Mickey Mantle, Arnold Palmer, Jim Brown, Sandy Koufax and Joe Namath were among the athletes who wore this belt made from genuine alligator skin featuring a five-pound, solid gold buckle, encrusted with diamonds, rubies and sapphires. For a quarter of a century, from 1950 to 1976, the S. Rae Hickok Belt was the most coveted and respected individual award in all of sports. It was given annually to the professional athlete of the year at an award banquet held in Rochester, N.Y. which became known as “the Academy Awards of Sports.”

Jewel of the Sports World: The Story of the Hickok Belt Award is an in-depth look at how this honor became known in the sports world, the icons who won it, and the way in which a mid-sized city embraced it and took center stage for one day each year.

Nationally recognized sports columnist and author, Scott Pitoniak takes you back to a simpler time during the ‘50s, ‘60s and early ‘70s, when honors carried greater meaning and prestige.