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MIAMI, Fla. (January 15,
2004) — Former Florida International
University and current Florida Marlins’ third-baseman Mike
Lowell will have his college number retired as part of the FIU
baseball program’s annual Diamond Dinner on Saturday, January
24. Lowell, who wore the number 15 at FIU, will become the third
Golden Panther baseball player to have his number retired.
“It is a great honor because
FIU was a major stepping stone toward achieving my goals in academics
as well as on the baseball field,” Lowell
said. “To have [FIU] recognize my achievements with the retiring
of my number is very rewarding and very gratifying. This is a very
special moment for me.”
Danny Price, FIU’s baseball coach, who coached Lowell between
1993 and 1995, said retiring a player’s number is the highest
honor a team can bestow on one of its own.
The dinner will be preceded by a
reception and auction starting at 6 p.m. in the Graham Center
Ballroom, FIU University Park,
11200 SW 8th Street. Gerry Hunsicker, the Houston Astros’ general
manager will be the keynote speaker.
Hunsicker, who earned his master’s
degree in education from FIU in 1976, served as an assistant
baseball coach at FIU from
1975-1978. Hunsicker is credited with turning the Astros into
one of the most consistent teams in Major League Baseball, through
careful player development in its farm system and strategic trades.
Coach Price said the attendance of
a great such as Hunsicker is a tribute to Lowell’s persistence
and dedication to honest work.
That work led to a career .353-batting-average,
which is the fifth-best in school history. Lowell was also the
Trans America
Atlantic Conference’s
Student-Athlete of the Year in 1995, and earned academic all-American
honors in 1995.
“The two things Mike has are
discipline and work ethic. Add to that loyalty. Through all his
success he remains loyal to his alma mater,” Price
said. “I was not in the locker room when the Marlins were
making their run to the championship, but I assure you that Mike
was displaying those same qualities. Personalities like his are
the ones that bond teams together and help them overcome impossible
odds such as beating the richest teams in baseball in their home
turf.”
Price points out that even when the
New York Yankees drafted Lowell in 1995, Lowell decided to stay
in school. In the off-season
he
took classes and graduated with honors in 1997 with a degree
in finance. That was not surprising from a player who regularly
stayed
after practice to work on his batting skills, Price said.
Seeing his former player showered
in champagne in the Yankee Stadium’s
locker room, elated Price, but did not surprise him.
“When I started to get to know
Mike, I realized he would be somebody. If he hadn’t made
it in baseball he would be head of a major corporation, or a
senator. I did not know what, but I knew he would
be big,” Price said.
FIU President Modesto Maidique, said
honoring Lowell is a special accomplishment for FIU.
“Mike Lowell is a tribute to
what hard work and discipline can accomplish,” said
Maidique.
Tickets for the Diamond Dinner are
$125 each. For more information call
305-348-2903.
Media Contact:
Jose Dante Parra
305-348-2716
parraj@fiu.edu
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