Jan. 20, 2004
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech’s annual Baseball Benefit Dinner will feature selected speakers from the Yellow Jackets’ 1994 College World Series team as the program celebrates “A Decade of Excellence.” The annual dinner, which will take place on Friday, Jan. 30, will also include a ceremony to honor the jersey of former Yellow Jacket and current Major League star Kevin Brown.
Nearly all the players, coaches and staff from Tech’s 1994 team will be in attendance for the dinner, including All-Star catcher Jason Varitek of the Boston Red Sox. The group is gathering for the 10-year anniversary of the Yellow Jackets’ first College World Series appearance, and the former players will be on hand to tell their stories of baseball and beyond as Tech celebrates “A Decade of Excellence.”
Brown, a first-team All-America selection at Georgia Tech in 1986, has pitched in the big leagues for 17 years with the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Florida Marlins, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. A six-time All-Star selection, he was traded to the New York Yankees this winter. Brown will become the first Georgia Tech baseball player to have his jersey honored, joining Varitek and former coach Jim Luck, whose jerseys are retired.
“Kevin Brown played on two ACC Championship teams and really helped lay the foundation for the success that the Georgia Tech program has today,” said head coach Danny Hall, who is in his 11th season at Georgia Tech. “He was the first Tech player to be drafted in the first round, and he has gone on to distinguish himself with an outstanding career in the major leagues.
“The 1994 team set the benchmark for all other teams to strive for at Georgia Tech,” said Hall. “It was a special group, and it was the first team to play for a national championship. It will be good to get everybody back for a reunion and celebrate their off-field successes.”
The annual dinner and auction, with proceeds to benefit the Georgia Tech baseball program, is being held at the Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center and will begin at 6:30 p.m. The cost is $70 per person and $680 for a table of 10. The evening includes silent and live auctions, as well as the introduction of the 2004 Tech team, which is ranked No. 4 in the nation in Collegiate Baseball’s pre-season poll.
Also on tap for the weekend is the annual Georgia Tech Alumni Game, where the current Tech team takes on stars of the past, on Saturday, Jan. 31 at Russ Chandler Stadium. In addition to the game, former Yellow Jacket stars will be on hand for an autograph session. The game begins at 12 noon and admission is free.
For more information or to RSVP, please call (404) 894-1227 or send a check (payable to GTAA) to: GTAA, Attn: Chris Cowan, 150 Bobby Dodd Way NW, Atlanta, GA 30332-0455. If you are mailing a check, please include the number of people attending, your address and your daytime telephone number).
