ROCK HILL, SC—Longtime Winthrop athletics supporter Johnny Gill, who served as the first president of the Eagle Club, will be honored on Sunday, April 17, when the Eagles host UNC Asheville on ‘Johnny Gill Day’ at The Winthrop Ballpark.
Gill will be honored on the field prior to the 2 p.m. Big South Conference game, and he will also throw out the first pitch. The game will also be observed as Comporium Day for employees of Comporium Communications and their families in an effort to ‘Pack The Park.’
In addition to his role as the first Eagle Club president in 1977, Gill also served as the first president of the Dugout Club, a former fan support group for the Winthrop baseball program that was formed in 1996.
"Johnny has been a great friend to Winthrop baseball since the birth of the program. He was a great supporter of Winthrop athletics in general and Winthrop baseball in particular long before I came on the scene," said Winthrop head baseball coach Joe Hudak.
"I heard about Johnny and his love for baseball soon after I came to Winthrop in 1991. I got to know him a little during my first four years here. However, it was during the 1996 season that he and Weldon Burns went with us on our first trip to Hawaii. We got to know each other during that trip and we have been great friends ever since," added Hudak. "There is no doubt that he has been a driving force behind the community support for our program. He was the first president of our Dugout Club. I remember when we decided to try to build a new stadium, he was the first person I spoke with. It was Johnny who arranged a meeting at a local restaurant of 15 or 20 community people who shared my vision for Winthrop baseball. We talked for two or three hours about our baseball program and its future.
"I could say a lot of things about Johnny Gill. The contributions he has made to Winthrop baseball have been phenomenal. However, more important than any of the things he has done for Winthrop baseball, I am honored to call him my friend," said Hudak.
Tickets for the April 17 game may be purchased in advance on the Winthrop Athletics Web Site (www.winthropeagles.com), or at the stadium on game day. Tickets are priced at $5 for reserved seats and $3 for general admission.
