Rangers History Today: Enshrinement of Two Fan-Favorites In Franchise Hall Of Fame
On this date in franchise history, the team inducted its fourth and eighth classes into the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame, five years apart.
On August 11, 2007, the Rangers added one player to their Hall of Fame — outfielder Rusty Greer. And, on August 11, 2012, the Rangers enshrined their long-time broadcaster, Eric Nadel.
Greer became a fan favorite as an outfielder for the Rangers from 1994-2002, as he played his entire Major League career in Texas. His near-careless style of play in center field, which included running into walls and diving head-first for loose balls, earned him a reputation as a hard-nosed player.
Greer was on the field for basically every great moment in the first 10 seasons of the Rangers’ residence at Globe Life Park in Arlington. That includes three American League West crowns, the franchise’s first home playoff game, and the first perfect game in team history, thrown by Kenny Rogers. In fact, Greer’s fearless style of play led to one of the seminal moments from that night.
Greer ended up hitting .305 with 119 home runs and 614 RBI over his nine-year career. He never reached the All-Star game or won a Gold Glove.
No broadcaster has worked more games with the Rangers than Nadel, who joined the crew at KRLD Radio in 1979 and has rarely missed a game. He worked with fellow Rangers Hall of Famer Mark Holtz, legendary Cowboys broadcaster Brad Sham (who moonlighted for a few years with the Rangers), Vince Cotroneo, Victor Rojas, Dave Barnett, Steve Busby, Matt Hicks and Jared Sandler, among others.
Known for his trademark call, “That Ball is History” and his near-encyclopedic knowledge of music, Nadel won the Ford Frick Award for excellence in broadcaster in 2014, assuring him a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Also on this date …
August 11, 1996: In his first start with the Texas Rangers, John Burkett threw a complete game shutout, just the second Rangers player to accomplish that feat in his first start with the team.
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