Hays To Be Inducted Into Texas Baseball Hall of Fame
October 17, 2001 | Baseball
Oct. 17, 2001
LUBBOCK, Texas - The Ex-Professional Players Association of Texas, the Texas Rangers and the Society for American Baseball Research announced today that Texas Tech head baseball coach Larry Hays will be among the 2001 inductees into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame on Thursday, November 15 in Fort Worth.
Hays will join fellow inductees Will Clark (former first baseman for the Texas Rangers), Doug Drabek (former Cy Young Award winning pitcher), Jack Lindsay (former Texas League standout in the 40' and 50's), Durwood Merrill (former major league umpire), Ruben Sierra (outfielder for the Texas Rangers) and Curtis Walker (a former standout for the Cincinnati Reds during the 1920's) at this year's induction. He will become just the fourth-ever college coach to be inducted joining former coaches Tom Chandler (Texas A&M), Cliff Gustafson (Texas) and Al Ogletree (UT-Pan American).
Hays is currently the eighth-winningest active head baseball coach in the nation with 1,278 career victories and is fourth on the all-time list of active head coaches. After a stellar career at Lubbock Christian University, where he compiled a 695-381 record and won the 1983 National Championship, Hays made the move across town to coach the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Since coming to Texas Tech in 1987, he has turned the Red Raider baseball program around from one of the nation's most forgotten programs into one of the nation's elite. Hays has won 583 games in 15 seasons at Texas Tech and has led the Red Raiders to four conference championships and seven consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
"This is truly an honor for me to be included in anything that has to do with baseball in the State of Texas," said Texas Tech head coach Larry Hays. "To be able to go in with great players that have earned everything themselves compared to myself who is being included based on what others have done for me is special. I have had great players and very talented coaches through the years and without them none of this would be possible."
The 2001 Texas Baseball Hall of Fame induction will be held at the Roundup Inn in Fort Worth, Texas on Thursday, November 15 at 6:30 p.m. Greg Lucas, play-by-play announcer for the Houston Astros on Fox Sports Southwest, will emcee the banquet. Rip Griffin, a longtime friend and supporter of Texas Tech athletics, will introduce Hays at the banquet. Proceeds from the event will be used to fund scholarships for students wishing to play college baseball.
For more information on the banquet, please contact Howard Green at (817) 535-0058.