Kansas City Royals Baseball Academy
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The Kansas City Royals Baseball Academy (also known as the Royals Academy and the GCL Royals Academy) was a part of the player development system of the
Facilities
Constructed at a cost of about US $1.5 million, the academy was located on 121
The facilities are now part of Twin Lakes Park,[5] which was purchased by Sarasota County in 1986.[6] It was renamed the Buck O'Neil Baseball Complex on March 8, 1995.[7] Various major league ballclubs have used it in the decades following the academy's closure.[6] The latest is the Baltimore Orioles, beginning with the start of spring training in 1990,[8] and continuing since 1991 as the site of its minor league camp.[9]
Faculty
All seven of the academy's instructors had playing experience in Major League Baseball. They were Bill Fischer, Joe Gordon, Tommy Henrich, Steve Korcheck, Jim Lemon, Johnny Neun and Chuck Stobbs. Gordon had been the major league Royals' manager in 1969, the franchise's inaugural season. Korcheck was the academy's coordinator of instruction. Among the other members of the faculty, two were from the sport of track and field – Wes Santee and onetime University of Kansas coach Bill Easton.[10] Mickey Cobb, the academy's athletic trainer, served in a similar capacity with the parent club in Kansas City from 1977 through 1990.[11]
Operations
The project began on September 11, 1969 when Kauffman officially announced plans to start the academy.
Each of the athletes selected for the 10‐month course received a $5,000 scholarship and a monthly salary of $100 for the first three months, $150 for the next three and $200 for the last four. They also got transportation to Sarasota, dormitory accommodations, three diet‐planned meals a day, health and life insurance, emergency dental care and a round‐trip plane ticket home for the Christmas holiday, all at the team's expense.[4] Attendance at the academy included an educational requirement in which each individual had to fulfill 12 credit hours at Manatee Junior College. The players took classes in the morning. Kauffman recommended that the courses taken involved business and public relations out of concern for the players' financial well-being in the future. Expenses for books and room and board was paid by the Royals.
References
- ^ Mellinger, Sam "Forty years later, Royals Academy lives on in memories" The Kansas City (MO) Star, Saturday, August 2, 2014
- ^ Leggett, William "School's In: Watch Out For Baseball Players" Sports Illustrated, August 23, 1971
- ^ Leggett, William "To The Tune Of A Hickory (well, Ash) Stick" Sports Illustrated, January 4, 1971
- ^ a b Forgeron, Harry V. "Royals to Dedicate Baseball Academy," The New York Times, Sunday, February 28, 1971. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ^ Zrebiec, Jeff "Renovation projects coming along well" Orioles Insider (The Baltimore Sun baseball blog), Tuesday, September 28, 2010
- ^ a b Twin Lakes Park (profile) – Sarasota County (FL) Government Online.
- ^ Mink, Eric. "'Baseball' Helps Right 70-Year-Old Wrongs", Daily News (New York City), Monday, March 6, 1995
- ^ Maffezzoli, Dennis "Orioles take long road back to Sarasota" Sarasota (FL) Herald-Tribune, Friday, July 24, 2009
- ^ Baltimore Orioles Spring Training – Spring training Connection.
- ^ Peurzer, Richard J. "The Kansas City Royals' Baseball Academy", The National Pastime (24th Issue), 2004.
- ^ Mickey Cobb (biography) – Waycross-Ware County (GA) Sports Hall of Fame.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Dutton, Bob "Royals Notebook: Ex-QB White signed to Kansas City minor-league deal" The Kansas City Star, Saturday, September 11, 2010