BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Former University of South Alabama baseball standout Luis Gonazlez will be inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2019, as announced by the organization Wednesday.

Gonzalez will be inducted on April 27, 2019, at the Birmingham Ballroom at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel in Birmingham, Ala., as part of the 51st Induction Banquet and Ceremony. He is one of eight former athletes to be inducted into the 2019 class, joined by Tommie Agee, Bill Burgess, Willie Davenport, Bud Moore, Antonio Langham, Steve Savarese and Catherine Reddick Whitehill.

Gonzalez was a three-year letterman at South Alabama, and twice earned All-America honors. He holds the Jaguar single-season records in RBIs (80) and games played (70), which he produced in 1988 and 1987, respectively. He led the Jaguars with 16 home runs in 1988. Gonzalez had his number retired at USA in 2001, and was inducted into the USA Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.

Gonzalez also had his number retired by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010, becoming the first player in the organization's history to earn the distinction. He finished his career as the organization's all-time leader in hits (1,337), doubles (310), runs scored (780), home runs (224), RBIs (774) total bases (2,373) base on balls (650), on-base percentage (.391) and slugging percentage (.529).

He was a five-time All-Star with Arizona, and was awarded the 2001 Silver Slugger Award the same year he delivered his walk-off single in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series off of New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, which gave the Diamondbacks their first-ever world championship.

Gonzalez led the National League in hits (206) in 1999, and finished second in batting average (.336), but produced the best year of his career in 2001 when he hit .325 with a career-best 57 home runs and 142 RBIs and finished third in the NL MVP voting. That season, Gonzalez also set career highs in triples (7), runs scored (128), slugging percentage (.688) and OBP (.429). 

He was the 2005 Branch Rickey Award recipient for his community service following Hurricane Katrina, and was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in 2011. Gonzalez is the first Jaguar to be inducted into the ASHOF. 

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