South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame to Recognize Mike Veeck with Prestigious Willie Jeffries Ambassador for Sports Award
COLUMBIA, SC - The South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame has announced that Mike Veeck of the Charleston RiverDogs will be honored with the prestigious Willie Jeffries Ambassador for Sports Award when the organization hosts its 54th annual banquet and induction ceremony on May 12 at the Columbia Metro Convention Center.
Along with Veeck, Billy D'Andrea of Clemson University will be recognized with the Bobby Richardson Sportsmanship Award; Dennis Powell of Columbia will receive the third annual Dom Fusci Leadership in Action Award; Rick Henry, the longtime face of WIS-TV Sports in Columbia, will be bestowed with the fourth annual Herman Helms Media Excellence Award; and University of South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley will be honored with a Special Achievement Award.
Those five honorees will be distinguished along with the new inductees of the SCAHoF Class of 2014 which include futures NFL Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins and quarterback Rodney Williams of Clemson, and basketball scorer Zam Frederick and pitcher Randy Martz from the University of South Carolina. Also being enshrined are SC State football standout Edwin Bailey; Olympian Monique Hennagan of Columbia; state golf legend Happ Lathrop; and Newberry basketball standout Carl Short.
Credited with helping revolutionize Minor League Baseball with his "Fun Is Good" approach, Veeck, with all of his titles - fun-loving maverick owner, entrepreneur, motivational speaker and teacher - continues to blaze new trails with every baseball season. After all, who else would hire a dog or pig to deliver baseballs to the umpire, a Roman Catholic nun to give massages, mimes to perform instant replays or lock out fans of the stadium to set an all-time attendance for the fewest people at a game?
The Veeck family started in baseball nearly a century ago when Mike's grandfather was president of the Chicago Cubs. Mike's father, Bill, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, was the owner of the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and the then-minor league Milwaukee Brewers. Bill Veeck is remembered for signing South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Larry Doby, the first African-American to play in the American League, and for sending 3-foot, 6-inch Eddie Gaedel to the plate for the Browns in a 1951 game against Detroit.
Mike Veeck began his baseball career with the White Sox and also worked for the Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. It is his inherited belief that anything is possible and no idea so silly, and that is how Veeck operates his ball clubs. He is part-owner of four baseball teams, and serves as president of the South Atlantic League's Charleston RiverDogs. His goal is to put fun in baseball while proving his ideas are not specific to sport, and is credited with revolutionizing minor league baseball where fun is the focal point.
The RiverDogs, in 2013, captured the prestigious Larry McPhail Award, which symbolizes the top promotions effort in all of Minor League Baseball. It marked the second time the club was recognized (1998), and is only the fourth team ever to win the award twice. Additionally, Dave Echols was named the SAL's General Manager of the Year (for the second time) while Andy Lange was honored as the Sales Executive of the Year.
In 2005, Veeck authored the book "Fun Is Good," which describes how this simple philosophy leads to success in any business. He has taken his "Fun Is Good" mentality and helped his teams reach attendance and customer service milestones, while receiving national publicity for innovative promotions and the injections of fun into business.
In addition, Veeck is a Visiting Professor in The Citadel's Health, Exercise and Sport Science Department and teaches six semester hours.
Willie Jeffries Ambassador Award
2014 - Mike Veeck, Charleston
2013 - John Rhodes, Myrtle Beach
2012 - Steve Wilmot, Hilton Head Island
2011 - Ray Tanner, Columbia