Kids & Family

Eric Lederman's Numbers Retired at Buffalo Wild Wings Fundraiser

The Oswego 12-year-old, who died in April after an accident at a baseball game, loved Buffalo Wild Wings in Oswego. His travel baseball and youth football jerseys will be on permanent display there.

Eric Lederman loved .

The Oswego restaurant on Douglas Road was where Eric would go to celebrate victory, deal with defeat, and simply revel in his family and friends, according to his Oswego Pony League baseball coach, Brian Zacker. It was one of his favorite places, a spot he could go just to be a kid, Zacker said.

So it was fitting, then, that Buffalo Wild Wings played host on Saturday night to a memorial ceremony for Eric Lederman, the Oswego 12-year-old who was killed in an accident before a baseball game in Wheaton in April. Before a packed house of Eric’s family and friends, the two travel leagues Eric participated in – Oswego Pony League Baseball and Oswego Youth Tackle Football – retired his numbers.

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His jerseys – he wore #2 on the baseball diamond as a member of the Oswego Panthers 12U Orange team, and #33 on the football field as part of the White Junior Varsity team – will hang in Buffalo Wild Wings permanently, encased in frames and near a sign that reads, “In loving memory of Eric Michael Lederman.”

The ceremony was part of a weekend-long fundraiser the leagues held for the Lederman family. Buffalo Wild Wings will donate 15 percent of their proceeds from both Saturday and Sunday to the family. Zacker called the weekend’s turnout “pretty awesome.”

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In addition, the leagues arranged a raffle with some pretty impressive prizes: a White Sox jersey signed by the players; signed photos and a jersey from the Chicago Bears; and signed baseballs from Ernie Banks and Paul Konerko, to name a few.

Zacker said all it took was contacting the organizations to get these items donated. Eric’s story, he said, has inspired football and baseball players everywhere, “from Cooperstown to Wrigley Field.”

Lederman was a catcher for the Oswego Panthers Orange 12U baseball team. He was warming up before a game in Wheaton when was struck in the neck with a ball, and he . It was a tragedy that shook the Oswego community, and hundreds , and to help his family.

The Oswego High School Panthers in a ceremony on the OHS field last month.

During the ceremony, Zacker delivered a moving tribute to Lederman, and his influence on Zacker’s life.

“Simply and plainly put, Eric changed my life,” he said. “Through Eric’s fearless ambition, he helped me realize what courage is, and helped me stand up in the face of adversity, no matter how difficult it seemed. Through Eric’s infectious smile, he helped me realize the importance of happiness in life, and that you should find those things that make you happy and go get them, no matter how difficult they seem."

“Through his competitive drive, Eric helped me realize it is not life’s results that define you, but it is your approach and attitude," he continued. "And through Eric’s huge heart, he helped me realize that if you don’t open yourself up to everyone you meet, you may miss out on that one special person who could change your life.”

The Oswego Baseball and Softball Association, in conjunction with Oswego Youth Tackle Football, has set up a memorial fund. Monetary donations can be made to the fund at Allied First Bank, 3201 Orchard Road, Oswego, IL 60543. Make donations payable to "Eric Lederman Memorial Fund."


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