Conine to enter Florida Sports Hall of Fame

Former Marlins star Jeff Conine will be inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame in November, joining eight other South Florida sports celebrities in this year's class.

The enshrinement will be held Nov. 17 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood. It is the first time in the 54-year history of the organization that the induction ceremony will be held in South Florida.

Conine is the only player to appear in the Marlins' inaugural game in 1993, plus be a member of both the '97 and the 2003 World Series champions. He was acquired by the franchise in the '92 Expansion Draft and was twice named the Marlins' Most Valuable Player by the South Florida Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (1994-95). The two-time All-Star won the '95 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award.

Over his career with the Marlins, Conine hit .290 with 120 home runs, 553 RBIs and a club-record six grand slams. He went 4-for-4 in the Marlins' inaugural Opening Day and played all 162 games in 1993, finishing third in the voting for the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

Conine currently serves as a special assistant to Marlins team president David Samson and as an analyst for "Marlins Live" pregame and postgame shows on FOX Sports Florida.

The other eight inductees are Tony Dungy, Zach Thomas, John Vanbiesbrouck, Bennie Blades, Randy Ableman, Joey Cornblit, Paula Carter and Sonny Hirsch.