Crawford 2-17-23

Baseball

Crawford to be inducted into Hall of Fame

by Chris Megginson

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Head baseball coach Donny Crawford is one of six individuals that have been selected for enshrinement into the inaugural Stillman College Athletics Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place on Friday, February 17th.

The inaugural class includes three former student-athletes and three championship coaches. Student-athletes selected are Jeffery Henderson (men's track and field), Chester Hightower Jr (men's track and field / football), and Dr. Jamila McKinnis Riley (women's volleyball / women's basketball). Coaches are Dr. Richard Cosby (Baseball), Donny Crawford (Baseball), and William Riley (Men's & Women's Tennis).

The induction ceremony and honorees breakfast, presented by CDW, is set for Friday, Feb. 17 in the Wynn Center Presentation Room at 8:30 a.m. during Homecoming Week. The inductees will also be recognized at the Feb. 18 Homecoming basketball games against Talladega College at noon and 2 p.m. CST.

DONNY CRAWFORD

One of the most successful coaches in Stillman College history, Donny Crawford amassed 272 career wins and seven Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) baseball championships during his 11-year career as Stillman College's head coach, from 2005-2015. Stillman was runner-up in the SIAC three times. His 272-236 career record is second all-time at Stillman for wins and win percentage. His nine-year streak of 20-win seasons from 2006-2014 is the longest in school history. The program's 32 wins in 2009 and 2012 matched the 1981 team for most single-season wins in school history, but set the record for most Stillman baseball wins in its NCAA Division II era. The 2012 team went 21-0 in SIAC action and collected the program's first NCAA DII Tournament wins, advancing to the South Region championship series.

The Tigers would win the SIAC titles in 2007-2009 and 2011-2014; in 2010 and 2015 the Tigers would finish as runner-up at the SIAC tournament.

Prior to Stillman, Crawford was the head coach at Tuscaloosa area high schools Brookwood, Holt, and Tuscaloosa County as well as serving three seasons as an assistant at the University of Alabama. Since his departure from Stillman, he helped Gordo High School to a 3A Alabama High School Athletic Association state title in 2017 and multiple state semifinal appearances. He is currently head baseball coach at Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee.