York University (NE)

Tom Miller '71 was a talented multi-sport athlete. He came to York College in 1969 on a basketball scholarship and is remembered by his coach as the playmaker, who ran the fast break and had a good jump shot. He averaged 12 points per game and made second team all-conference his sophomore year.

However, baseball was his real passion and while it was his participation in basketball that helped pay for college, it was his two years on the baseball team that made his York Experience.

In his freshman year, he had a batting average of .410. He was named first team all-conference as an infielder. 

At one point during Miller's sophomore year, he led the nation in hitting with a .561 average. He finished the year with a battering average of .529, which placed him first in the National Junior College Athletic Association. He also won the Prairie Junior College Conference batting title. He served as a starting and relief pitcher and was 6-1 his sophomore year with a 2.21 ERA. He was voted the Outstanding Player Award in the conference that year. 

Though there was no official York College golf team at the time, Miller and several friends formed a team and played at intercollegiate tournaments. He was also competitive in intramural sports, including table tennis and horseshoes.

When Miller's two years at YC were up, he attended Lipscomb University and played baseball. His team finished second in the nation his junior year. He also received a scholarship to play on their intercollegiate badminton squad.

Miller finished a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in education and spent the next 30 years as a physical education and history teacher. He also coached girls' softball and girls' and boys' basketball for many years.

Because of his outstanding athletic achievements and for being a positive ambassador for York College as an educator and coach for many years, on this day, October 10, 2014, Tom Miller is inducted into the York College Athletic Hall of Fame.