Former New York Yankee Honored at Druid Hills High School

Ron Blomberg was voted the most popular person in New York City twice during the 1970s for his exploits in a Yankees' No. 12 jersey.

At his alma mater, , where he excelled in basketball, baseball and football, the same number will hence forth reside on the outfield wall of John Devore Field.

Current Red Devils players and fans honored Major League Baseball's first-ever designated hitter with a jersey retirement ceremony Friday afternoon, attended by friends from the class of 1967. Blomberg, an honorary member of baseball's Hall of Fame, also threw out the first pitch.

"It's wonderful to come back to Druid Hills -- this started my life almost 45, 50 years ago," said Blomberg, now based in New York but an Atlanta-area scout for the Yankees. "To be able to come back here and see your name up on left field, and how people are -- it's a great feeling. Whatever I did back then made me pretty successful outside of my baseball life."

Blomberg was recruited by colleges across the country for three sports, but went with the Yankees as a first pick in the 1967 draft. He gained a strong reputation as a clutch hitter in an eight-year career span with the Yankees that included a World Series win in 1977.

He displayed his ring in the Druid Hills dugout just before his former team faced Greater Atlanta Christian.

"This means something right here," he said. "Work hard. You've all got to work hard as a team."

In addition, the famous slugger offered some batting tips and shared a few stories, such as the nine home runs he accumulated against pitching legend Nolan Ryan. Blomberg said his proudest moment as a professional player came in August 1973, when he hit a .406 average.

"When George Steinbrenner bought the team, he put some money in and we became pretty successful," he said.

Blomberg, in addition to being baseball's first designated hitter, is also the first former Druid Hills student to have a number retired.

"The event was organized by our head coach, Matt Gershon," said Druid Hills Dugout Club president Amy Ridgway.

"As soon as he took the job here two years ago, he decided that we had to find some baseball history for Druid Hills High School because we really didn't have a good grasp on that, and very quickly he was able to get in touch with Mr. Blomberg, who was quite happy to come back. We felt like his accomplishments were just astounding and we needed to recognize and our school needed to not forget."   

Unfortunately, Druid Hills was unable to extend the festive atmosphere of the pregame ceremony as it lost in a rout versus Greater Atlanta Christian, 15-0.