Joe Girardi (Baseball, 1983-86)
Girardi earned All-America distinction in baseball, capturing third-team honors in 1985. The three-time All Big-Ten catcher and three-time Academic All-American is among NU's all-time career leaders in many offensive categories. At the time of his induction, he ranked second in runs batted in (156) and doubles (45), third in games played (208), hits (227) and home runs (24), sixth in at-bats (646) and seventh in batting average (.351). His .396 average in 1984 ranked as the fifth-best season in school history (as of 1998).
Girardi was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1986 and was the starting catcher for the Yankees' 1996 World Series Championship team. He also has coached with numerous MLB teams and in 2006, was named the National League Manager of the Year while working with the Florida Marlins. He won the 2009 World Series as the manager of the New York Yankees.
