Year Inducted – 1983

If you wanted to mass produce gifted infielders who could make the play from anywhere on the diamond, come up with the clutch hit when needed or give 120 percent, you would use Tony Sams as a model. Sams’ play could be categorized as, “He might have been the best.” Tony is best remembered for his All-Star style of play while helping the Borden Auto teams of the late 1940’s and 50’s to League titles. Sams first came to Akron in 1939 when the New York Yankees assigned him to their Class C Akron Yankees team in the Mid-Atlantic League. He was a fan favorite for two seasons in Akron, and moved up to Binghamton, N.Y. in 1941. After an injury, he was moved to Norfolk, VA. His professional experience had included exhibition games with big leaguers. He considered Lefty Gomez the greatest he had faced, but he noted that he had played on the same field with Joe DiMaggio, Bill Dickey, Charlie “King Kong” Keller, Frankie Crosetti and others from the New York Yankees glory years.