On Sunday, former Auburn slugger Frank Thomas was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, becoming the first SEC player to be awarded with the honor.
Known as "The Big Hurt", a nickname given to him by Chicago White Sox broadcaster Ken Harrelson, Thomas, a two-time American League MVP, had a .301 batting average, hit 521 homeruns, and drove in 1,704 runs in his career.
While Thomas is widely known for his professional accomplishments, his career began on the plains of Auburn University.
As a senior at Columbus High School in Georgia, Thomas' skills on the football field earned him a scholarship to Auburn as a tight end.
But after an outstanding baseball season, which ended with a state championship, Thomas eyed the MLB draft.
To the surprise of most, including then-Auburn baseball coach Hal Baird, Thomas was not drafted.
"It was clear he was a great baseball player," Baird said. "In any type of decent draft, he probably would have played professionally straight out of high school."
So instead, Thomas enrolled at Auburn and competed in the 1986 football season. He then reported to the baseball team in January, and it did not take long for him to impress.
"He hadn't swung a bat in over a year, and even in the very first day of workouts, it was as if he had been working at baseball every day," Baird said. "His timing was terrific, the bat speed, the vision, all of those things that take normal human beings quite a while to get, Frank had them in the first day."
Baird said Thomas' talent helped him transition to college ball more easily.
"I remember talking to our hitting coach Steve Renfroe and saying 'this is an incredibly talented young guy,'" Baird said. "Of course we needed to see him in games, but there was just no learning curve for Frank."
To both Baird and Renfroe, it was obvious the kind of talent they had on their hands.
"The first ball he ever hit in batting practice, Coach Baird and I, our heads just swiveled," Renfroe said. "And we said 'there's our number four hitter'. He was the best baseball player in my 32 years around Auburn that I saw."
Even after winning the SEC MVP his senior season and hitting a career school record 49 home runs, Baird said Thomas will always be remembered at Auburn for his smile and personality.
"He was one of the most popular players in the athletic department, not just the baseball program and football program," Baird said. "He always had a huge smile, the most beautiful smile you ever saw, and he was always smiling"
"Great, great person," Renfroe said. "He was just fun to be with, his teammates loved him. He was like the pied piper. The big infectious smile, he was just excitable and loved the game. He treated all of the guys well, the coaches and the people. He's just a special person to be with."
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