Baseball to Honor Miami Legends This Weekend
4/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
OXFORD, Ohio – This upcoming weekend, May 1-3, the baseball team will honor three Miami legends, Don Crain, “Papa” Joe Hayden and Walter “Smokey” Alston. The weekend features a number of other events so MURedHawks.com wanted to provide a schedule of events for the series.
Friday, May 1
· Don Crain Day
· Alumni weekend
· Pre-game recognition and first pitch by Don Crain
Saturday, May 2
· “Papa” Joe Hayden Day
· Pre-game recognition and first pitch by Hayden family
· 2000 and 2005 MAC Championships will also be honored
· Miami Little League Day
· Military Appreciation Day
· Alumni weekend
Sunday, May 3
· Walter “Smokey” Alston Day
· Pre-game recognition and first pitch by Alston family
· Alumni weekend
· Union County (IN) Little League
Don Crain, Miami ‘70
· Three-year letter winner in baseball (1968-70)
· As a senior in 1970, Crain led the team in stolen bases with 15
· Two-time recipient of the Red & White Club Don Loss Volunteer of the Year honor
· Former member of the Miami Board of Trustees
· Founder of the Miami Baseball Players Alumni Association
· Co-Fundraising chair for the Legacy Project at Hayden Park
“Papa” Joe Hayden, Miami ’51
· Manager of the Midland Redskins (1966-2013) amateur baseball team
· 13 Connie Mack National Titles
· Six runner-up finishes and four third-place finishes
· Midland Program has produced 60-plus major leaguers, 500 MLB draftees and nearly 2,000 college scholarships
· Served on Miami’s Foundation Board and Business Advisory Council
· Key contributor to McKie Field at Hayden Park renovations over the years
Walter “Smokey” Alston, Miami ‘35
· Cradle of Coaches member
· Charter member of the Miami Athletic Hall of Fame
· Three-time letter winner at Miami in both baseball and basketball (1933-35)
· Graduated from Miami in 1935 with a degree in industrial arts and physical education.
· Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers Manager (1954-76)
· 2,040 career wins as manager of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers (Ninth all-time)
· Seven National League Pennants
· Four-time World Series champion (1955, 1959, 1963, 1965)
· National Baseball Hall of Fame member inductee in 1983
Miami takes on Eastern Michigan for an important three-game Mid-American Conference series. First pitch times: Friday (6 p.m.), Saturday (3 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).
