Garden City Baseball Great Heading to Hall of Fame

Garden City resident Bobby Cole, a relief pitcher for the 1978 Fordham Rams, is among seven athletic standouts to be inducted into Fordham University's Athletic Hall of Fame Feb. 25.

The 11 a.m. induction ceremony will take place in the McGinley Center on Fordham's Rose Hill campus.

Cole, a Floral Park native who now resides in Garden City, attended Chaminade High School in Mineola.

“Growing up on Long Island, baseball was truly America’s pastime,” Cole said. “No matter what level, you played wiffle ball, stickball, everyone played Little League. That’s just what you did. You just got up in the morning, grabbed your mitt, and went out and played ball.”

Although Cole ranks fifth on Fordham's career saves list with 13 and sixth on the all-time ERA list (2.63), some say it's his role in Fordham’s historic 1978 campaign that stands out most. That year, Cole helped contribute to the team's impressive 30-15 record. With a 5-0 record, he secured seven saves with a 2.11 ERA, helping the Rams capture the Met title.

His love for the game runs deep.

Ray Dukes, Cole's grandfather, signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Cole says the signed Ebbets Field contract is prominently on display next to his wife Mary's Waterford crystal in their home's china cabinet. Also in the china cabinet - a baseball autographed by the 1936 world champion New York Yankees his father, Bob Cole, Sr., also a Fordham alum, gave him, including DiMaggio, Gehrig and Dickey.

Bob and Mary Cole have four children and two grandchildren.

For tickets contact Julio Diaz at 718-817-4306 or diazjr@fordham.edu.