The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2022: Doyle Alexander, William Andrews, Keith Askins, Rusty Greer, Patrick Murphy, Jake Peavy, Phillip Rivers and Justin Tuck.
The eight athletics standouts will be inducted May 7, 2022. Executive Director Scott Myers said the class was selected by ballot through a statewide selection committee with votes tabulated by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Starting with the first class in 1969, this will be the 54th class inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, bringing the total number of inductees to 385.
The Class of 2022
Alexander was born Sept. 4, 1950, in Cordova. Over his 19-year MLB career, he played for the Dodgers, Orioles, Yankees, Rangers, Braves, Giants, Blue Jays and Tigers. Drafted by the Dodgers in 1968, Alexander debuted on June 26, 1971. In 1976, he helped the Yankees win the AL East division and pitched game one in the World Series. In 1984, he led the AL with a .739 winning percentage. He was traded from Atlanta to Detroit in 1987 and went 9-0 with a 1.57 ERA, helping the Tigers secure a division title. The next season he was elected to the AL All-Star team. He finished his career with a 194-174 record, 3.76 ERA and 1,528 strikeouts.
Andrews was born Dec. 25, 1955, in Thomasville, Georgia. He played football at Auburn University from 1976-1978, amassing over 1,000 yards rushing. He was taken in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons with the 79th pick. He played with the Falcons from 1979-1986 and his career started with a bang as he tallied 167 rushing yards in his first game. Andrews broke 1,000 rushing yards as a rookie and was named to the All-Rookie team. In 1981, Andrews led the NFL with 2,036 yards from scrimmage and scored 12 touchdowns. In 1983, he continued to dominate with 1,567 rushing yards and 2,176 scrimmage yards, second in both categories that year. Andrews was selected to the Pro Bowl four times from 1980-1983, and was named first-team All-Pro in 1983 after being named second team All-Pro in 1981 and 1982. He gained 5,986 career rushing yards, which was 24th all-time at his retirement.
Askins was born Dec. 15, 1967, in Athens. He played forward for the University of Alabama from the 1986-87 to 1989-90 seasons. In 1989, he was named to the All-SEC Tournament team. Askins was a member of three SEC Tournament champions and reached the Sweet Sixteen twice. He signed with the Miami Heat in 1990 as an undrafted free agent. He played nine seasons as a reserve and defensive specialist with the Heat. Askins was a captain for the Heat from 1995-99, and won the team leadership award in 1994-95 and 1995-96. He retired in 1999 with career totals of 1,852 points and 1,428 rebounds. Immediately after retiring, he joined the Heat coaching staff as an assistant for Pat Riley as the team won three NBA championships. After 14 years as a coach, he became the Heat’s director of college and pro scouting.
Greer was born Jan. 21, 1969, in Fort Rucker. He graduated from Albertville High School and played baseball at the University of Montevallo. The Texas Rangers drafted him 279th overall in the 1990 MLB Draft. On May 16, 1994, he made his MLB debut and hit a home run in his second at-bat. In 1996, he had one of his best seasons, batting .332 (fifth in the AL) and recording his first of three 100-RBI seasons. The next season he finished seventh in the AL with a .321 batting average and hit a career-high 26 home runs. For his career, Greer batted .305 and had a .478 slugging percentage. Greer spent his entire 15-year career in the Rangers organization and, in 2007, was inducted into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame.
Murphy was born Nov. 28, 1965, in Waterloo, Iowa. He began his collegiate coaching career at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette in 1990. He was hired as an assistant at the University of Alabama in 1996. He was named head coach in 1999, taking the Crimson Tide to its first Women’s College World Series in 2000. In 2012, Murphy led Alabama to its first national title as the first SEC team to capture the series championship. He has led Alabama to 13 Women’s College World Series, won six regular season SEC championships and five SEC Tournament championships. Alabama has gone to the NCAA Tournament every year Murphy has coached the team. He is a five-time SEC Coach of the Year. Murphy’s staff has won a NFCA National Coaching Staff of the Year award and 11 NFCA South Region Coaching Staff of the Year awards.
Peavy was born May 31, 1981, in Mobile. He was drafted out of St. Paul’s Episcopal School by the San Diego Padres in the 15th round as the 472nd pick of the 1999 MLB Draft. He was called up to the major leagues in 2002 and pitched for the Padres from 2002 to 2009. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 2009 and played five seasons before being traded to the Boston Red Sox in 2013. In 2014, Peavy was traded to the San Francisco Giants, retiring in 2016. Peavy was an All-Star in 2005, 2007 and 2012, and won back-to-back World Series with the Red Sox in 2013 and the Giants in 2014. He was named the National League Cy Young award winner in 2007 after leading the NL in wins and strikeouts and MLB in ERA. He was awarded a Gold Glove in 2012. Peavy ended his career with a record of 156-126 with a 3.63 ERA and 2,207 career strikeouts.
Rivers was born Dec. 8, 1981, in Decatur. He played quarterback for North Carolina State from 2000 to 2003. He was ACC Rookie of the Year in 2000; ACC Player of the Year and ACC Offensive Player of the Year in 2003; and ACC Athlete of the Year in 2004. Rivers was second-team All-ACC in 2002 and first-team All-ACC in 2003. He was selected by the New York Giants as the fourth pick of the 2004 NFL Draft but was traded to the San Diego Chargers for Eli Manning. In 2008, Rivers led the NFL in passer rating and was co-leader for passing touchdowns. He led the league in passing yards in 2010 and in completion percentage in 2013. Rivers was a nine-time Pro-Bowler (2006, 2008-2011, 2013, 2016-2018) and was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year in 2013. In 2020, Rivers signed with the Indianapolis Colts after 16 seasons with the Chargers. He retired after the 2021 season and is the head football coach for St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope.
Tuck was born March 29, 1983, in Kellyton. He played football for the University of Notre Dame, where he redshirted his freshman year and played three seasons as a defensive lineman with the Fighting Irish. He set several school records despite struggling with an ACL injury his final season. His sophomore season, Tuck set the school record with 13.5 sacks and 43 tackles for loss. He holds the Notre Dame record with 24.5 career sacks. In 2005, he was taken by the New York Giants in the third round of the NFL Draft. During his pro career, Tuck won two Super Bowl titles (XLII and XLVI); was a two-time Pro-Bowler (2008 and 2010); second-team All-Pro (2010); first-team All-Pro (2008); and joined the New York Giants Ring of Honor in 2016. He had 510 career tackles, 66.5 sacks, 22 forced fumbles and three interceptions.
The 54th Annual Induction Banquet and Ceremony will be in the Birmingham Ballroom of the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel. For more information or to buy tickets, contact the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Museum at 205-323-6665.
(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)
