AU BASEBALL: Former greats inducted into Wall of Fame

Gregg Olson drove his family into a number of dead ends and fraternity houses when he was trying to show his family around campus.

Frank Thomas had to go to Toomer’s Corner “just to make sure it was still standing.”

Tim Hudson and Bo Jackson, meanwhile, had no trouble navigating themselves around Auburn, a place they’ve made frequent trips back to since their great college baseball careers came to a close.

The four inductees for the brand new Auburn Wall of Fame may have completely different relationships and visiting schedules with their alma mater, but all four shared a unanimous honor Saturday to be associated with each other as members of the inaugural class.

“Everybody is great within their own right,” Jackson said. “To be mentioned in the same sentence as Tim Hudson, Gregg Olson and Frank Thomas, you’ve had to do something right. It’s great to come back here and reminisce.”

The four Auburn greats were honored before Saturday’s game against Missouri under sunny skies behind home plate at Plainsman Park. Their former coach, Hal Baird, shared emcee duties with athletic director Jay Jacobs, providing plenty of superlatives about the four players’ banner careers.

Before each player’s turn at the dais, Auburn officials unveiled screen-printed images of the players on the Plainsman Park outfield wall, starting with Jackson in left field, Olson in left-center, Thomas in right-center and Hudson down the right-field line.

“It’s a tremendous honor,” Hudson said. “Just to be able to come back and be included in a group with Frank Thomas, Bo Jackson and Gregg Olson, it’s an honor. I’m thrilled to death that Auburn thought enough about me and my career to include me in such a group.”

Hudson, the only member of the group still playing, underwent Tommy John surgery midway through the 2008 season, but was still able to receive an extension on his contract with the Atlanta Braves. Hudson and his wife, Kim, are expecting to move into a house in Auburn within the next year.

“It’s a place that we’re happy,” Hudson said. “We love it here, and the people here are awesome. They’ve always made me and my family feel welcome, and it’s a place I’m going to put down my roots.”

Hudson only spent two years at Auburn, but his two-way presence was “like having two All-Americans,” Baird said.

A Phenix City native, Hudson spent one year at Chattahoochee Valley Community College before signing on with Auburn in 1996. His ’97 season is considered one of the best in school history, as he went 15-2 with a 2.97 ERA, while also hitting .396 in a 50-win season for the Tigers.

Jackson and Thomas put up similarly astounding numbers as sluggers with the Tigers.

Jackson’s breakout year came in 1985, when the two-sport athlete batted .401, hitting 17 home runs and driving in 43. His .864 slugging percentage from that season is still a program record, and his career mark of .715 is second all-time.

Thomas one-upped that mark, slugging .722 for his career. His 43 home runs rank third all-time and his .382 batting average is second-best in program history.

“Hal definitely pushed me,” Thomas said. “He would always compare and say, ‘Bo could go on top of that building out there in centerfield.’ I said, ‘Yea, you’re right.’

“He said, ‘Maybe if you work out a little harder maybe you can accomplish some of those things.’ I was like, ‘Coach, there’s only one Bo Jackson.’”

Olson’s inclusion in the ceremony may have seemed out of place to fans new to the game, but Baird called Olson one of the most important influences in Auburn baseball history. Olson chose Auburn in 1986, a rebuilding program at the time, over a bevy of baseball powerhouses after he was considered one of the best high school pitching prospects in the country.

“I never looked at it like I was the guy that made it turn the program,” Olson said. “When he said it, I was kind of looking at him like, ‘Hal, come on.’ So it wasn’t a point I really thought about.”

The ceremony was the brainchild of coach John Pawlowski, who helped create a similar way of honoring players at College of Charleston.

“It’s something I think is pretty special,” Pawlowski said. “These are four guys that have represented our program at Auburn in a first-class manner both on and off the field.”

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