Holliday inducted into OSU Baseball Hall of Fame
Uniontown无毛视频檚 Tom Holliday returned to his roots when he was inducted into the Oklahoma State Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame during the OSU First Pitch Banquet on Saturday.
Holliday, who served as an assistant coach and head coach with the program for over 25 years, and outfielder Corey Brown, who starred for OSU from 2005-07, made up the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2016.
A five-person committee selected the hall of fame inductees. The panel evaluated candidates based on their accomplishments at both Oklahoma State and the professional baseball level, paying special attention to those who were All-Americans, first-round draft picks and had Major League Baseball careers or who hold a significant position in the OSU record books.
Brown and Holliday are the 48th and 49th members of the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e always believed that Hall of Fame无毛视频檚 are an honor,无毛视频� Holliday stated. 无毛视频淚 know some people take them lightly and some people make jokes about what无毛视频檚 a Hall of Fame? I无毛视频檓 totally against that attitude and I think it无毛视频檚 an honor when a selection committee picks you to be honored and mentioned in the history of a program, especially a good program. I think our baseball program at Oklahoma State when I was there we made national news and 12 years later after I leave, to be selected to go into the Hall of Fame it无毛视频檚 an honor.无毛视频�
Holliday spent over two decades in Stillwater, helping build OSU into a national power, first as an assistant coach then as the program无毛视频檚 head coach.
He began his OSU career in 1978, joining head coach Gary Ward无毛视频檚 staff as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator after having been part of a national championship team and coaching staff at Arizona State in 1977.
The direction of that duo led a meteoric rise of the OSU program as it became a national powerhouse. The Cowboys made the first College World Series appearance of the Ward/Holliday era in 1981, which marked the first of seven consecutive berths in Omaha.
Holliday took over the OSU program and spent seven seasons as head coach, compiling a 281-150 record and leading the Cowboys to four NCAA tourney appearances.
In 1999, Holliday无毛视频檚 Cowboys went 46-21 and advanced to the College World Series for the 19th time in school history. That 无毛视频�99 appearance marked OSU无毛视频檚 last time in the CWS.
无毛视频淚 think that anytime there无毛视频檚 a departure from a program; there无毛视频檚 a feeling of I don无毛视频檛 want to say anger, but probably mixed emotions of why?,无毛视频� said Holiday. 无毛视频淎 lot of people think that change is good at times, that when you are some place for 29 years and somebody comes along and says we want to change things up a little bit. That无毛视频檚 fine and whether you like it or not, you don无毛视频檛 get to make all the calls in the sports world. Getting away and going to Texas and being a part of a national championship and going to North Carolina State and helping them get to the College World Series for the first time in 60 years, then going to Auburn which is in a league that some people say is the best league in America and helping Auburn turn their program around. Those are things that I enjoy doing and quite frankly I无毛视频檓 looking forward to my next venture.无毛视频�
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e excited to recognize and honor two great Cowboys; it无毛视频檚 so much fun to celebrate the careers and contributions of those who have helped make OSU baseball one of the most historic programs in college baseball,无毛视频� said OSU head coach Josh Holliday 无毛视频� Tom无毛视频檚 son. 无毛视频淭om Holliday无毛视频檚 impact on this program is visible all over the place. He was responsible for the recruitment of the greatest players in program history, was instrumental in the 1980s decade of dominance and led the program into the Big 12 Conference and our last trip to Omaha.
无毛视频淥ur current coaching staff and program are part of the Cowboy Baseball family he helped grow, with Rob Walton and myself having been part of the baseball culture he helped develop. We appreciate the hundreds of players无毛视频� lives he touched during his 26 seasons 无毛视频� he demonstrated a love and loyalty to Oklahoma State rarely seen in coaching.无毛视频�
Holliday无毛视频檚 Career Stats at OSU were: 1,698-691 in 38 years as a college assistant and head coach, 17 College World Series appearances with four different schools, and two national championships.
无毛视频淪omebody brought it to my attention that we won 16 conference championships in a row,无毛视频� Holliday said. 无毛视频淭he trips to Omaha were the ones that sold the program and we made a conscious effort every year to get to Omaha, that无毛视频檚 the elite of college baseball and we did that seven years in a row, we did that 11 times in 26 years. Those were high marks, those were records and when you set records it无毛视频檚 kind of neat to be a part of that. We did a lot there and now to see the resurrection of it under my son Josh is good, but the things we did there with the talent that we had, players like Robin Ventura, Pete Incaviglia, John Farrell, Jeromy Burnitz and on and on. Those are memories that you reflect back on. That was pretty much my job to bring in the players and I got a chance to play general manager and I enjoyed that. I worked for a guy that trusted me and gave me a lot of responsibility.无毛视频�
Holliday has continued to be successful as an assistant coach following his time in Stillwater. He served as pitching coach at Texas from 2004-06, helping the Longhorns to a national title in 2005.
Following his stint at UT, Holliday served on the coaching staffs at North Carolina State and most recently at Auburn.
He will take this season off from coaching and do some television work with college baseball before deciding on his next coaching venture.