By Matt Wilson, Journal Review
Mac Petty is known around Montgomery County as Wabash College’s long time basketball coach. But at the end of October, Petty will receive an honor of a different sort.
On Oct. 30 at Akron, Ohio, Petty will be one of 13 members inducted into the Greater Akron Baseball Hall of Fame. Petty, who received the induction phone call in June, will join an elite group of Hall of Famers that also includes former major leaguers Thurman Munson and Cy Young Award winner Dean Chance.
The GABHOF will be the fourth Hall of Fame to induct Petty. He also has been inducted into the Wooster, Wayne County and Wabash halls of fame. The GABHOF celebrated its 22nd anniversary in 2003 and has 308 inductees.
"I was really taken back when they told me they were going to induct me into the Hall of Fame," Petty said. "There are quite a few name people in the Hall of Fame."
Petty started his baseball career as a 12-year-old little leaguer, moved on to hot stove (Babe Ruth) at age 13 and from 16-22 played with an amateur baseball league over the summer. He started his amateur career with the Orrville Merchants of the Akron Amateur baseball organization, then continued his summer playing with Winding Bar, Krispy Kremes and Tramonte Black Labels.
Petty was a basketball and baseball player at Wooster High School. Pitching for the Generals, he compiled a 19-9 career record and recorded 14 strikeouts per game his senior season. He gained a spot on the Ohio All-Star team and was the starting pitcher in game two of the three-game series.
Before his senior year, Petty was asked by the Los Angeles Angels to go to Cleveland Stadium for a workout.
"That was a neat experience," Petty said. "As a 17-year-old, I was throwing batting practice to the Los Angeles Angels before an Indians game."
After graduating from Wooster, Petty had two chances to jump into the major leagues. Playing both basketball and baseball at the University of Tennessee, Petty was drafted by the New York Mets in the 17th round following his freshman season at Knoxville. Petty decided to stay at Tennessee and play basketball and baseball until graduation. Petty said $30,000 would have lured him away from Tennessee.
"The Tennessee basketball coach was calling me, wanting me to stay," Petty said. "Then my dad got involved and said the $8,000 or $10,000 the Mets were offering was just not enough to pay for my education. And people were telling me that if they wanted me now, then they would want me later on."
After graduating from Tennessee, Petty was contacted in the spring of 1968 by the Pittsburgh Pirates to attend a try-out at Bristol, Tenn. Petty had a good workout and was offered a contract. Because of a recent marriage and a pending basketball coaching position at Loudon High School, Petty again turned down the offer.
"Had I not been married I might have taken the contract and gone," Petty said.
After three years at Loudon, Petty was a head soccer coach and assistant basketball coach at University of the South. After taking the head basketball position at the Sewanee, Tenn. college, Petty left for Wabash in 1976. He enters his 29th season at the Little Giant helm with a 386-308 career record.
Petty said the GABHOF induction made him reminisce about his baseball playing days.
"This is a great honor," Petty said. "I’m mainly known for my basketball and it’s nice to be recognized for something I did some time ago. It brings back fond memories."