April 12, 2006
TEMPE, Ariz. - Three Arizona State University baseball legends are on the inaugural ballot for the first class of the College Baseball Hall of Fame, to be inducted July 4th in Lubbock, Texas. Sun Devil coaches Bobby Winkles and Dr. Jim Brock, along with infielder Bob Horner will represent Arizona State University as three of the 46 nominees on the Hall of Fame ballots, which were mailed out to a voting committee at the beginning of April.
The College Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2006 will be announced at the completion of voting in late April and officially inducted during a two-day celebration of collegiate baseball, which will also include the Brooks Wallace Award Dinner. The Inaugural Hall of Fame Class will make their acceptance speeches during the Official Induction Ceremonies on July 4th in Lubbock. The event will be carried nationally by Fox Sports Network.
Bobby Winkles was ASU's first varsity baseball coachand compiled a 524-173 record during his 13 years and was a three-time NCAA Coach of the Year. In all, Winkles won three national championships ('64, '67, '69) in 4 CWS appearances over the span of five years. Winkles took the ASU program from scratch and built it into one of the premier powerhouses in all of college baseball. Only six years into the program's history, Winkles led his 1964 Sun Devil squad into Omaha and ended up placing sixth. Only one year later the Sun Devils reached the pinnacle of college baseball, finishing with a 41-11 record and the school's first National Championship. Winkles led ASU back to the College World Series and again reigned as NCAA Champions in 1967 and 1969. Winkles was named the 1965 and 1969 NCAA Coach of the Year and The Sporting News Coach of the Year in 1965, 1967 and 1969. He was also a trailblazer in another area, as he became one of the first college coaches to transition to MLB. After leaving ASU, he managed four years in Major League Baseball with the California Angels and the Oakland Athletics. He was a 1997 inductee into the ABCA Collegiate Baseball Hall of Fame. He recruited and coached such top talents as Rick Monday, Sal Bando, Sterling Slaughter, Reggie Jackson, Larry Gura and Gary Gentry during his coaching career. His Number 1 jersey is retired at Arizona State, and the playing field at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark is named in his honor.
Dr. Jim Brock had the arduous task of replacing the legendary Winkles, and in the process became a Sun Devil legend himself. Brock led the Sun Devils to a pair of national championships in 1977 and 1981 and recorded a 1,100-440 record during his 23 years at the helm of the Sun Devils. He led ASU to 13 College World Series appearances, including winning a pair of National Championships. He was inducted into the ABCA College Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998, and was the 1977 and 1981 NCAA Coach of the Year. Additionally, Brock was a five-time winner of the Pac-10 Coach of the Year award (1981, 1982, 1984, 1988, 1993). Additionally, Brock earned three degrees from Arizona State, including a bachelor, master's and doctorate degrees. Brock coached a handful of Sun Devil legends, including first-round draft picks Eddie Bane, Floyd Bannister, fellow Hall of Fame nominee Bob Horner, Hubie Brooks, Oddibe McDowell, Barry Bonds and Mike Kelly. All three of ASU's Golden Spikes Award winners (Horner, McDowell, Kelly) also played under Brock. His number 33 is retired at Arizona State, and the baseball facility, Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark, was named in honor of the late Dr. Brock in 2006.
One of the most decorated players in Arizona State University history, Bob Horner left an indelible mark on Sun Devil baseball during his three seasons in Tempe. A versatile fielder, Horner played shortstop, second base and third base during his career, earning All-WAC honors three times. A feared hitter, Horner hit 56 career home runs, still a school record. He helped lead the Sun Devils to three consecutive College World Series appearances, including the 1977 National Championship. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 1977 CWS, where he hit .444, hitting two home runs and knocking in nine RBI. His final season in Tempe, Horner hit .412, while belting 25 homers and knocking in 100 runs. He was the very first Golden Spikes Award winner, as well as The Sporting News Player of the Year. Twice he was named a First Team All-American, and the Atlanta Braves made him the Number One overall pick in the 1978 Major League Baseball Draft. In 1999, Horner was ranked #2 by Baseball America on the College Player of the Century Team. His number 5 was retired by the Sun Devils.
The 80-member CBF Hall of Fame Voting Committee is split into eight committees of ten members, which will choose these elite individuals. Persons assigned to the ABCA Veteran, ABCA Active, National, Historical, NCBWA, Former Players, National Media and Regional Media Committees will comprise the total voting group. Each committee member has been chosen to achieve a balanced representation from around the country--Far West, Northwest, Southwest, Mountain, Mid-South, South, Southeast, Deep South, Mid-North, Northeast. The entire process will be done online via the Internet.
Players become eligible for the College Baseball Hall of Fame ballot 5 years after the student-athlete's final collegiate season, not to include any active player on a professional baseball team roster. Former players must have completed one year of competition at a 4-year institution, and must have made an All American team (post-1947), or an All League team (pre-1947, or have earned verifiable national acclaim).
Coaches become eligible after ending their collegiate career, not to include an active coach on a professional baseball team. They must have achieved 300 career wins, or have won at least 65% of their games.
Each year those candidates named to the official ballot, but not selected for induction to the Hall of Fame, will become holdovers and automatically appear on the ballot the following year.