Selby, Colpoys Elected to Hall of Fame
Selby, a 13th round selection of the Boston Red Sox in the 1992 amateur entry draft, played 14 seasons of professional baseball. He played in parts of four seasons with the Bisons, beginning in 1998, his seventh year as a pro. That season, he hit .254 with 14 home runs and 52RBI in 97 games as the Herd went on to win the International League's Governors' Cup Championship. In 1999, he was named the Bisons Stan Barron Most Valuable Player as he blasted 20 home runs in 122 games to go along with a .295 batting average and 85RBI. He had another 21 home runs with a .276 average and 86RBI in 100 games in 2000. After spending a year in the Cincinnati organization, Selby returned to Buffalo in 2002 and hit .299 with five home runs and 22RBI in 55 games.
In the Bisons' Modern Era, Selby ranks first in hits (378), doubles (90), RBI (245), runs (217) and total bases (674). He also is second in games played (370) and third in home runs (60) and walks (163). His .500 slugging percentage is 10th in the Modern Era.
Selby played in 198 Major League games in parts of five seasons with Boston, Cincinnati and Cleveland. He made his debut with the Red Sox in 1996. Selby had a .233 Major League batting average with 11 home runs and 48RBI. His longest big league season came in 2002 when he played in 65 games with the Indians (.214, 6HR, 21RBI).
Colpoys managed 25 years at Canisius College from 1975-2001. His 325 wins are the most in the school's history and he led the Griffs to the 1994 MAAC regular-season championship. He received a Distinguished Coach Award by the MAAC conference in 2006.
Colpoys was also instrumental in the return of professional baseball to Buffalo. After eight years without a team (1971-78), he worked with then-Mayor Jimmy Griffin to bring a Double-A Eastern League team to the Queen City. Affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Bisons began play in 1979 with Colpoys as the General Manager. He remained in that position until the 1984.
A retired Buffalo fireman (1960-1980) and member of the Structural Iron Worker Union, Local #6 (1956-79), Colpoys also scouted for the Philadelphia Phillies (1975-1977) and managed the Niagara Falls team in the New York-Penn League in 1976. Colpoys long career in baseball began in 1954 when he played as a catcher for three seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals system. Presently, Colpoys is the President of the Western New York Baseball Hall of Fame Committee.