The newest class of the College Baseball Hall of Fame was announced today in conjunction with the College Baseball World Series championship round and it includes two former Historically Black College and University (HBCU) greats, Dave Clark and Marquis Grissom.
In 2011, the College Baseball Foundation created the Black College Legends and Pioneers Committee to recognize those who played baseball at HBCUs and others who were instrumental in integrating their college baseball programs or had a lasting impact at their schools.
Myself, Ruffin Bell (founder of the now retired blackcollegebaseball.com website) and Dr. John Winters (professor, researcher and integrating umpire of the old Southwest Conference) were tasked with identifying individuals who qualified for recognition who might not otherwise be recognized by the College Baseball Hall of Fame voting community. Historically, HBCU baseball had little national exposure… even to the most enthusiastic college baseball followers.
The committee has grown beyond the initial three and this year, Dave Clark from Jackson State University and Marquis Grissom from Florida A&M have been selected for induction into the College Baseball Hall of Fame which will be held at its home in Overland Park, Kansas on February 11, 2027.
Dave Clark…
The 1982 edition of Jackson State baseball completed the regular season with a 34-18 record and with the SWAC now receiving an automatic post- season bid, became the first HBCU baseball program to participate in an NCAA Division I regional tournament. The Tigers were led that year by sophomore David Clark who topped the regulars hitting .363. After the 1982 season, Clark was selected a Sporting News All- American.
Clark returned to Jackson State in 1983 and hit an even higher .378 and added 13 home runs. After the season, Clark was a first-round MLB draft pick of the Cleveland Indians. His 13 years in the Major Leagues as an outfielder preceded a career as a minor league manager, major league coach and for a short stint, the interim manager of the Houston Astros in 2009.
Year G AB R H AVG 2B 3B HR SB
1981 66 179 36 67 .374 9 9 1 65
1982 27 86 32 35 .407 2 3 1 42
For an interview we did with Dave Clark in 2020, please go here.
Marquis Grissom…
In 1987 and 1988, Florida A&M Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship squads were led by outfielder/pitcher Marquis Grissom. As a freshman in 1987, Grissom hit .393 with eight home runs. The next season, he followed up hitting a team-leading .448, with 10 doubles, 10 triples and 12 home runs. On the mound, Marquis Grissom threw 12 complete games with a 9-3 record and a 2.40 earned run average. In 86 innings pitched, Grissom struck out 93 batters. In 1988, his 10 triples tied for most in the country, his .448 average ranked sixth nationally, he finished with the 18th best earned average among all NCAA Division I pitchers and tied for the seventh-greatest number of complete games.
Drafted as an outfielder/pitcher in the third round of the 1988 MLB draft (76th player drafted overall) by the Montreal Expos, Marquis Grissom ended up being groomed solely as a position player. Grissom played 17 seasons in the Major Leagues with six different teams, twice was a National League All-Star, won four Gold Gloves for excelling defensively in the outfield, and in both 1991 and 1992 led the National League in stolen bases.
Hitting
Year G AB R H AVG 2B 3B HR RBI
1987 31 117 25 35 .393 5 4 5 32
1988 39 143 63 64 .448 10 10 12 48
Pitching
Year G GS CG W L IP H SO ERA
1988 12 12 12 9 3 86.0 94 93 2.41
Great mentor