LUBBOCK, Texas -- Vin Scully, who may easily be described as the most legendary voice in baseball, is scheduled to receive the George H.W. Bush Distinguished Alumnus Award from the National College Baseball Hall of Fame on Nov. 8.
The Bush Award, which recognizes a baseball letter-winner who has achieved success in life off the diamond, will be presented at 5 p.m. PT at the Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles.
"I'm looking forward to sharing the evening with friends and associates in the game," Scully said. "That will be a nice way to spend an evening."
Scully said in addition to friends and family attending the event, he is pleased several former players will be in attendance, with Jim Abbott, Nomar Garciaparra and Tim Wallach serving as co-hosts for the evening.
Mike Gustafson, president and CEO of the NCBHOF, said the organization is thrilled to honor Scully and his contributions to the game.
"The Hall of Fame is honored to present the Bush Award to Vin Scully," Gustafson said. "His career in broadcasting is unparalleled."
Scully was an outfielder at Fordham in the late 1940s, and even played in a game against Bush's Yale team in April 1947. He began his broadcasting career as a student and shortly thereafter was offered the opportunity to join the then-Brooklyn Dodgers broadcasting booth.
"Mr. Scully is representative of what the Bush Award stands for," Gustafson said. "He is the voice of baseball for so many, and this will be a great evening."
The award is named after its inaugural recipient, George H.W. Bush, who played at Yale from 1946 to 1948 and eventually was elected the 41st President of the United States.
Bush, called "Poppy" by his teammates, played first base for the Bulldogs teams that played in the first two College World Series. He also served as the team captain for the 1948 squad.
The National College Baseball Hall of Fame, based in Lubbock, Texas, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to recognizing and preserving the history of college baseball. In addition to the annual induction of the Hall of Fame class, the organization presents numerous awards to current college baseball players, coaches and umpires, including the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award and the National Pitcher of the Year Award, during its annual Night of Champions event. The organization was founded in 2004, and the first Hall of Fame class was inducted in 2006. Currently, a capital campaign is under way to raise the $13 million needed to construct the George H.W. Bush National College Baseball Hall of Fame building and create an endowment.