A night with the 'Tough Guys'

Some of the toughest customers in Buffalo sports history wined and dined together at Ilio DiPaolo's restaurant on Tuesday night to support a good cause. The restaurant hosted "A Night with the Tough Guys," an event honoring former Buffalo Sabre Rob Ray as he was inducted into the "Tough Guy Hall of Fame."

The event, in addition to honoring Ray, helped raise money to benefit the Ilio DiPaolo Scholarship Fund, The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame, as well as many local charities.

"The scholarship goes to kids in school who are academically eligible to go to college for scholarships as well as the less fortunate children," said Dennis DiPaolo, son of the late Ilio DiPaolo and the restaurant's general manager. "It goes to places like Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo, People Inc., Moving Miracles, the Center for the Handicapped, and the less fortunate children we have in this country and in our community."

There were many familiar faces in attendance including Buffalo Bills Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and Thurman Thomas, CBS broadcaster and former Buffalo Bill Steve Tasker, and local boxer-turned-political-candidate Joe Mesi. Many faces unfamiliar to the casual Buffalo sports fan were also present. Professional wrestlers and boxers from the 1960s such as The Destroyer, Dominic DeNucci, Billy Red Lyons, Carmen Basilio, and Angelo Mosca also had seats at the Tough Guy Table.

"(It was a) fantastic night to have all these legends come together to help my father's scholarship fund, which helps our communities so well," DiPaolo said. "To honor a guy like Rob Ray and what he does in the community...it's just a beautiful time. [It's] great people coming together to do great things."

Though the night was meant to celebrate Ray, some athletes in attendance questioned Ray's fighting prowess. "Baby" Joe Mesi joked that even though he can't skate, if he could get Ray in a match in sneakers, he would come out victorious. During his roast of Ray, Mesi also jokingly challenged the former Sabres fighter to a match as he removed his jacket at the podium.

Former Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas had even more to say about Ray's hockey skills and toughness.

"Rob Ray can't fight nobody. He can't fight his way out of a wet paper bag. I don't know what he's talking about," Thomas joked. "He's not tough. I mean, it would be good if he could fight and score goals, but what the hell? He's only out there for one reason. He's not a complete player because he fights all the time. That's not fair."

Ray, after hearing Thomas' remarks, scoffed and laughed.

"You know what? I realized what I had, and used it to the best of my ability," Ray joked. "I taught him everything he knows."

Buffalo wrestling legend Dick "The Destroyer" Beyer, a member of the "Tough Guy" class, was proud to be included in the same company as tough guys like Ray and Kelly.

"I feel very honored for the fact that I am...in their class," Beyer said. "I was a world champion twice in my career. I've paid my dues getting where I am."

Ray believes that watching the wrestlers from his youth who now sit at his table is a major factor in his path towards toughness.

"I grew up with these guys on Saturday mornings back home on the old black-and-white TVs, that's when it was real," Ray said. "Now it's...a production all the time. I don't think anyone in the World Wrestling Federation, or whatever it's called now, would look back and say 'thank you' to any one of these guys. Because if it wasn't for them, they wouldn't have the jobs they have now."

Ray feels that another problem with athletes these days is the lack of reverence for the men who have got them there.

"I just don't think there's that respect now for the guys that got your business to where it is. And they sacrificed a lot and didn't make much for it. They deserve a lot of credit," Ray said.

For an evening with a great cause behind it, it was very easy to get these athletes from different backgrounds together.

"Everybody is a fan of everybody's and that's what's great in sports," DiPaolo said. "Everybody's got the respect of sports no matter what you're in; it's a huge fraternity."