Miami Hurricane Greats Ron Fraser And Neal Heaton Grace First CBF Hall of Fame Ballot
April 12, 2006
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Former Miami Head Coach Ron Fraser and former UM pitcher Neal Heaton were on the ballot of 46 collegiate baseball greats released Wednesday by the College Baseball Foundation who are candidates for induction into the first-ever College Baseball Hall of Fame.
Fraser and Heaton are on an elite list comprised of 22 former players, 12 coaches and 12 veteran candidates that will be pared down by an 80-member Hall of Fame Voting Committee for induction through two rounds of elimination votes.
Known in most circles as “The Wizard of College Baseball,” Fraser led UM to NCAA national titles in 1982 and 1985 and compiled a record of 1,271-438-9 (.747) from 1962-92. Fraser was a 26-time coach of the year and helped UM to an NCAA-record 20 consecutive playoff appearances, a streak that is still going. Miami went to eight College World Series in that time and Fraser’s uniform No. 1 was retired at UM on April 24, 1993. He also coached prominently on the international front and was the first Team USA coach in the 1992 Summer Olympic Games.
In addition to his coaching prowess, Fraser is perhaps the greatest innovator in college baseball history. Fraser was a pioneer of on-field promotions and turning baseball games into events as well as competitions. Among his plethora of contributions, Fraser also campaigned for the first collegiate baseball games ever to be televised live, a three-game series against USC in Coral Gables on ESPN in the 1981 season.
Neal “The Heater” Heaton pitched at Miami from 1979-81 and still holds many of UM’s pitching records, including victories in a season (18) and strikeouts in a game (23). He is second in career wins with 42, third in strikeouts in a season with 172 and third in career strikeouts 381. Heaton, a two time All-American, was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1981 and went on to enjoy a 12-year career in the Majors. He was the first Hurricane to play in a big league all-star game and was inducted into the UM Hall of Fame in 1992. His number 26 is retired at Miami.
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. The CBF plans to kick off the celebration on Monday, July 3 with the third annual Brooks Wallace College Baseball Player of the Year Award at the United Spirit Arena, on the campus of Texas Tech University. The Inaugural Hall of Fame Class will make their acceptance speeches during the Official Induction Ceremonies on July 4. Both events will be will be carried nationally by Fox Sports Network, as well as the Fox College Sports Networks (Atlantic, Central and Pacific).
For more information on the 2006 College Baseball Hall of Fame contact: John Askins–(832)-418-1055; jaskins@collegebaseballfoundation.org. Or visit the CBF’s web site, www.collegebaseballfoundation.org.
