Fourth Ron Polk Ring of Honor Class Announced

STARKVILLE – The fourth class of the Ron Polk Ring of Honor will see their plaques unveiled this spring when the trio of Richard Lee, Pete Young and Frank Montgomery are enshrined as the 2022 class.

The 2022 class will be celebrated during Mississippi State's conference series versus Florida (May 6-8, 2022) with the induction ceremony set to be held on Saturday, May 7.

The Ring of Honor is named after legendary head coach Ron Polk, who served as the head coach at Mississippi State from 1976-97 and again from 2002-08. Affectionately referred to as the Godfather of Southeastern Conference baseball, Polk served 31 years as head coach in the league, including a stint at the University of Georgia (2000-01).

The architect of five SEC championship teams and five SEC Tournament-title winning squads, Polk was a four-time SEC Coach of the Year and two-time national Coach of the Year honoree.

The first SEC coach in any sport to reach 1,000 victories, Polk guided Mississippi State to six College World Series appearances and owned a 1,139-590 record with the Maroon and White. He totaled 1,373 career coaching victories, making eight total trips to Omaha. A two-time Team USA head coach, Polk is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association, Mississippi Sports and College Baseball Halls of Fame.

During his tenure as a head coach, Polk tutored 33 All-Americans, 71 All-SEC selections, 187 Major League Baseball draft picks, including 29 who reached the big leagues. Named an SEC Legend in 2017, Polk has also earned the prestigious Lefty Gomez Award from the ABCA and Rube Award from Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame for his tireless service to others during his career.

Richard Lee
1995-98
One of the best power hitters in MSU history, Lee earned Freshman All-America accoladed in 1995 and was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American. He was an All-SEC first baseman in 1998 and a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. Served as an integral part of the first back-to-back College World Series appearances in MSU history. Lee finished his career at MSU as the program's leader in runs batted in and total bases. He ranked in the top 10 in runs, hits, doubles and home runs at the end of his MSU career. Lee led MSU in hits, batting average, home runs and runs batted on his way to being named the team MVP in 1997, while he hit a team-high 19 home runs and led the Bulldogs with 85 RBI as a senior in 1998. He was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1998 Major League Baseball Draft.

Pete Young
1987-89
Perhaps one of the most complete players in MSU history, Young was an elite defensive third basemen and relief pitcher for the Bulldogs. He was a two-time All-American (1988-89), a Freshman All-American (1987) and two-time all-region selection over the course of his Diamond Dawg career. Young was a back-to-back All-SEC selection in 1988 and 1989, while he was also part of the 1987 and 1989 MSU teams that captured SEC Championships. Young helped guide State to three straight NCAA Regional appearances. The two-way player ranked first in MSU history for single-season and career doubles as well as saves at the conclusion of his Bulldog career. He was named the team's Most Valuable Player in 1988 and followed up by leading the MSU pitching staff with a 1.22 ERA in 25 appearances in 1989. Young was a sixth-round pick in the 1989 Major League Baseball Draft by the Montreal Expos.

Frank Montgomery
1961-63
Montgomery was a dominant lefty who became the first pitcher in MSU history with a minimum of 10 decisions to go undefeated in a season with a perfect 10-0 record in 1962. He earned All-SEC and All-SEC Western Division honors on his way to becoming an All-American in 1962. Montgomery won 16 career games on the mound for the Bulldogs, while he was also the SEC leader in wins, earned run average and strikeouts in 1962. Montgomery amassed 190 strikeouts in 158 innings his final two seasons with the Diamond Dawgs and was named the team's Most Valuable Player in 1962 after notching 10 wins, 102 strikeouts and a 0.68 ERA in 92 innings. He was inducted into the Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.

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Mississippi State University Athletics

Fourth Ron Polk Ring of Honor Class Announced

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