Marks sixth Hall of Fame for the long-time Astros broadcasting icon
HOUSTON, TX - The Des Moines Sunday Register announced today that Houston Astros radio broadcasting great Milo Hamilton has been inducted into their Iowa Sports Hall of Fame.
Hamilton, who grew up in Fairfield, Iowa, is the 215th inductee into this Hall of Fame as he joins the likes of Major League Baseball great Bob Feller, Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner, former NFL greats Alex Karras, Emlen Tunnell, Roger Craig and Kurt Warner and legendary University of Iowa football coach Hayden Fry.
This marks the sixth Hall of Fame for Hamilton, whose 59 seasons as a Major League broadcaster are second all-time to Vin Scully's record of 65 seasons in the booth. Hamilton served as the radio voice of the Houston Astros from 1985-2012, and in that span, called some of the greatest moments in franchise history. For the past two seasons (2013-14), he has joined the Astros radio broadcasts during home Sunday games for his "Milo's Memories" feature. Hamilton will be on the air in the sixth inning of this afternoon's Astros-Rangers game.
"Congratulations to Milo on another well-deserved honor," said Astros President of Business Operations Reid Ryan. "He truly is a broadcasting icon that has been a part of Astros baseball for decades. This is another fitting honor for one of baseball's broadcasting greats."
Globally, Hamilton is best-known for his radio call of Hank Aaron's historic 715th home run on April 8, 1974, while serving as the Atlanta Braves play-by-play announcer. Hamilton and Aaron have a special bond that remains today. When the Astros honored Hamilton's career with a special night in 2012, Aaron made the trip to Houston to speak at the event.
Other highlights from Hamilton's illustrious career include calling 11 no-hitters, Nolan Ryan's 4,000th career strikeout and Craig Biggio's 3,000th hit. In addition to the Astros and Braves, Hamilton also had stints with the Pirates, including their 1979 World Championship season, and with the White Sox, Cubs and Cardinals.
In 1992, Hamilton received the industry's highest honor, receiving the Ford C. Frick Award from the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In 2009, in honor of his 25th season in Houston, a street outside Minute Maid Park was renamed Milo Hamilton Way. Later that year, Hamilton was named "King of Baseball" by Minor League Baseball at the Annual MLB Winter Meetings.
HALLS OF FAME FOR "THE CAPTAIN" MILO HAMILTON
--National Baseball Hall of Fame (Ford C. Frick Award) - 1992
--Texas Baseball Hall of Fame -1994
--Radio Hall of Fame - 2000
--Texas Radio Hall of Fame - 2005
--Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame - 2011
--Des Moines Sunday Register's Iowa Sports Hall of Fame - 2014
