The Shadow
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Gary Rice is a member of both the Alleghany High School and Covington High School athletic halls of fame.
Monday, the veteran Alleghany baseball coach got the call from another hall.
Rice will be part of the Class of 2015 of the Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame.
Rice will be inducted on January 29 in a ceremony at the Salem Civic Center.
Coach Rice will start his 32nd year at the helm of the Mountaineer baseball team this spring, the only head baseball coach in the history of the program.
In his 35 years as a varsity baseball coach (Valley, Alleghany County and Alleghany), Rice has compiled a record of 513-218-5, placing him tied for fourth on the all-time Virginia High School League list with fellow Salem-Roanoke Hall of Fame member Jim Cutler of Liberty.
Other members of the Class of 2015 include:
• Kelly Dampeer: The former Northside star, was a four-time All-Big South Conference player at Radford University and was named the Mizuno Freshman of the Year in 1994 and the Division I Player of the Year in Virginia in 1995. He is the single season and career record holder in home runs at RU, as well as the career leader in doubles and total bases. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians.
• Cecil Doss: Doss is a former American Legion Post 3 coach as well as a sandlot coach in Roanoke and the Garden City area. He coached several men who are in the S-R Hall of Fame. Doss served in the U.S. Navy, where he also played baseball in the Atlantic Fleet program from 1950-1954. He is still active in the American Legion, presently serving as Post Commander for the third time.
• Ben Minton: Minton has been a high school baseball umpire for 43 years. He has been the state championship game crew chief eight times and has umpired many state games over the past 20 years. Minton has umpired American Legion baseball for 41 years and served as the umpire coordinator for 16 years. He has umpired in the Virginia Commonwealth Games since its inception and has been a college Division III umpire for 10 years.
• Bob Scarborough: Scarborough was a flame throwing right-hander from Franklin County High School from 1982-1985. He played college baseball at Ferrum from 1986-1988 and was drafted by the Cleveland Indians organization. Scarborough played for the Indians in 1988 and 1989. He is now a vice-president for Valley Bank in Roanoke.
The guest speaker at the induction ceremony will be Charlie Manuel, a former Major League player and manager. Manuel, a Buena Vista native and a 1995 inductee in the Salem-Roanoke Hall of Fame, played in the Major League for the Twins and Dodgers and was a big star in Japan, hitting 48 home runs for Kintetsu in 1980. After his playing days, he became a minor and major league manager and hitting instructor. Manuel managed both in Cleveland and Philadelphia, winning the 2008 World Series with the Phillies.
The Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame was founded in 1991 and the hall of fame building is located on the grounds of the James E. Taliaferro Complex, next to the Salem Red Sox administrative office behind the third base seating area of Salem Memorial Ballpark.
