If Tony Sauro had complete in any sport other than horseshoes, he probably would have been in a much earlier class of Hall of Fame inductees. In fact, he was elected to his own sport's Hall of Fame in 1975.

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A native of Italy, Tony has lived in Syracuse since 1925. In the late 20s he began pitching horseshoes and won his first of 18 County championships in 1935. Six years later, he pitched his way to the Syracuse championship, his first of 17 such titles.

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In 1951, Tony was a Herald Journal Star of the Week selection. He was one of the top four pitchers in the state eight times and once threw 32 straight ringers. Another time, behind 49 to 32, he tossed 18 straight ringers to win by one. He retired both the City and County trophies by winning each of them three years in a row.

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Tony has competed in his sport's Super Bowl and World Series--the 1965 World Championship in Keene, NH, and averaged 69.7% ringers in 32 games.

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At the age of 62, he finished third in the World Tournament with 63% ringer percentage. In 1984, he authored a book titled, "The Biography of a Common Man and Horseshoe Pitching Champion." An annual tournament by The Pioneer Horseshoe Pitching Club was named after him, and in 1986 he won a gold medal in the NY State Senior Games.