Russell Baze, who has won more races than any jockey in North America,
will be inducted into the Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame (MESHOF) in
Oakland, California, on February 25, in a ceremony that will be held at the
Interstate Center-Mormon Temple.
“I am extremely honored that the Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame has
selected me for induction, and very proud to be a member of such a fine class,”
Baze said.
Formerly the African American Ethnic Sports
Hall of Fame, MESHOF is dedicated to honoring sports legends of all races.
MESHOF is a non-profit organization devoted to developing opportunities for less
fortunate youth to gain exposure to positive aspects of life, and to broaden the
public’s understanding of African American/Ethnic history and the role of
diversity and cultural tolerance in the growth of professional sports.
Baze, who
has 11,159 career victories, is part of a 2011 induction class that also
features NBA great Rick Barry and NFL star quarterback Y. A. Tittle.
This will
be the fourth Hall of Fame induction for the rider, who is a member of the National
Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame (inducted in 1999), Washington Horse Racing
Hall of Fame (2004) and the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association’s Hall
of Fame (2007).
In addition to Baze, Barry and Tittle, MESHOF’s 2011 induction
class includes Ben Tucker (track and field), Proverb Jacobs (football), James
Robinson (Olympian), Ron Davis (track and field) and Marilyn King (Olympian).
Baze is a 15-time winner of the Isaac Murphy Award, a national honor that is
given annually to the jockey who rides the highest percentage of winners from
mounts (minimum 500 mounts) during the year. Named for the 19th century African
American jockey who won with 44 percent of his career mounts, the Isaac Murphy
Award was inaugurated in 1995 by the National Turf Writers Association and Baze
has taken the honor every year with the exception of 2004.
The MESHOF induction
ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. (PST) and serving as master of ceremonies will be
former major league baseball players Bip Roberts and Shooty Babitt. For ticket
information, visit
www.afrosportshall.com or call Arif Khatib at 510-472-0391.