1955 SEC Champs Celebrate 50th Anniversary this Weekend
4/29/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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By Kyle Murphy, UA Media Relations
The 1955 Southeastern Conference champion University of Alabama baseball team will celebrate its championship season's 50th anniversary at this weekend's Alabama-Georgia series at Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
The 1955 team finished the season with a 23-6 overall record and an 18-2 mark in SEC play. Alabama won 17 of its last 18 regular season games en route to its first SEC title since 1950. The team posted a 10-game winning streak and closed out the season by winning its final seven games.
After compiling a 16-2 regular-season conference record, Alabama swept SEC Eastern Division champion Georgia in a best-of-three series to claim the school's ninth league crown. Georgia was coached by the legendary Jim Whatley, a football, basketball, and baseball letterman for the Crimson Tide.
Alabama advanced to the NCAA District III Tournament, but lost a best-of-three series to Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla.
The team will hold its reunion Saturday prior to the Alabama-Georgia game with a tour of the Paul W. Bryant Museum and the new Crimson Tide athletic facilities. Following the tours, they will participate in a barbecue cookout behind the right field wall at Sewell-Thomas Stadium prior to their recognition before the 2 p.m. Alabama-Georgia start time.
"A lot of us have not seen each other in quite some time" said former manager and Tuscaloosa native Pete Pierson, who is still a regular at Bama baseball games.
"This is a great time for us to get together since it's the 50th anniversary of our SEC Championship team. It will be nice to see everyone and go back to old times."
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Among those attending the reunion are John Paul Anderson (Fairhope), Chuck Bancroft (Gainesville, Ga.), Bobby Barnes (Montgomery), Gary Freeman (Gadsden), Bill Latta (Cropwell, Ala.), Buddy Morrison (Sawerville, Ala.), Pete Pierson (Tuscaloosa), Howard Tepper (Orange Beach), Bill Carr (St. Augustine, Fla.), and Dan Thompson (Birmingham). Bill Robinson (Opelika) will also attend. Robinson covered the '55 team for the Crimson White, Alabama's student newspaper.
Frank Lary will represent his brother, Gene Lary, Tommy Belk Jr. will represent his father Tommy Belk Sr., and Jerry Belk will represent Head Coach Happy Campbell. Other deceased players include Bobby Hunt, Herb Kosten, Bobby Jackson, Terry Durham, Dwight Leonard, Jimmy Walker, Hootch Collins, and Coach Jerry Watland. Players that are unable to attend are Corey Frazier and Frank Roland.
The 1955 team held the single season record for highest batting average when they hit .339 (277-818) with wooden bats. It was broken by the 1997 squad who hit .340 (860-2527) with aluminum bats.
Eight members of the 1955 team signed professional contracts - John Paul Anderson (Philadelphia), Chuck Bancroft (Detroit), Bill Carr (Cleveland), Bobby Hunt (Philadelphia), Herb Kosten (Cincinnati), Gene Lary (Cleveland), Buddy Morrison (Kansas City), and Frank Roland (Kansas City).
Outfielder Bobby Hunt led the team in eight categories during the '55 season - at-bats (98), runs (23), hits (43), triples (4), home runs (4), RBI (32), total bases (61), and average (.439). Hunt's .439 average ranks third all-time in school history with 100 or fewer at-bats.
In 1955, none of the three Crimson Tide outfielders committed an error. The team finished with only 30 errors, compiling a .968 fielding percentage.
On the mound, the Tide boasted a solid pitching staff, compiling the third best ERA (2.27) and fourth lowest run total (78 runs allowed) in school history.
Right-hander Gene Lary led the team with an 8-1 record and a 2.52 ERA. He set the single season record with eight complete games.
Left-hander John Paul Anderson compiled a 7-1 record and a 1.49 ERA. He had seven complete games to rank third on Alabama's single season list.
Left-hander Frank Roland posted a 4-0 record and a 2.38 ERA. A year later, he set the school record with 12 victories and 10 complete games, breaking Lary's record, and in two years was 16-0 on the mound.
