BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—Gerald Tuck, who played football and baseball at Samford (then Howard College) in the late 1950s and has been on the school's baseball coaching staff for over 20 years is being inducted into the Alabama Baseball Coaches' Association's Hall of Fame this weekend.
 
“Coach Tuck has always meant a lot to our program,” Samford head baseball coach Casey Dunn said. “His love for Samford University, our program and our players shows in everything he does for our team. We would like to congratulate Coach Tuck on this well-deserved honor.”
 
The AlaBCA will induct the 2013 class of its Hall of Fame Friday at 6:30 p.m. in a ceremony at the Birmingham Marriott Hotel. Joining Tuck in this year's Hall of Fame class are Hoover head coach Rick Davis, Satsuma head coach Mike Symanski, Southern Union Community College coach Joe "Jabo" Jordan and high school coach Dick Steed, who will receive the AlaBCA's prestigious Distinguished Service Award for 2013.
 
"All five men have had a major positive impact through their passion for baseball and teaching," AlaBCA Executive Director Barry Dean said. "They have touched the lives of hundreds of student-athletes as result."
 
In addition to the Hall of Fame inductions, the AlaBCA's yearly awards will be presented. Samford first baseman Saxon Butler will be named the state's Hitter of the Year, and Bulldog pitcher Josh Martin will be named Pitcher of the Year.
 
Tuck, who has been in coaching for 54 years, graduated from Birmingham's Phillips High School in 1954. He then attended Howard College, and was a member of the Bulldogs' baseball and football teams.
 
After graduating from Howard, Tuck then spent a few years playing baseball in the Baltimore Orioles and Brooklyn Dodgers organizations. He began coaching at Minor High School in 1959, left for Mortimer Jordan in 1962 and remained there for the next 23 seasons.
 
He also coached at Phillips and Tarrant for a total of 31 years as a high school coach, and his teams had only three losing seasons and recorded more than 500 wins in his head-coaching tenure.
 
Tuck joined the staff at Samford University as an assistant coach in 1990, and has been at the school ever since. Tuck was a part of the inaugural class of the Samford University Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005 and received the John W. Russell Ambassador of the Game Award which was co-sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in 2009.
 
As a senior, Martin ended the 2012 season tied for the national lead in wins with a 12-2 record. Martin led Samford in strikeouts with 95, and he posted a 3.35 earned run average in 110 innings of work. He was named Most Outstanding Player of the SoCon Tournament after leading Samford to the tournament title.
 
Butler led Samford in hitting as a senior in 2012, batting .340 with 14 doubles, 15 home runs and 61 RBI. Butler ranked second in the Southern Conference in hits (88) and total bases (149), and he ranked third in the league in runs batted in (61) and home runs (15).
 
For more information, go to the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association's website, www.alabca.org.