Former Cosumnes River College baseball star Jermaine Dye will be inducted into the
California Community College Athletic Association Hall of Fame in March, according to a press
release.

Dye will be honored at the CCCAA Convention in San Mateo, Calif. He will be CRC’s first
ever athlete inducted into the CCCAA Hall of Fame and is already a member of the CRC Hall of
Fame.

Dye was initially drafted into the pros out of high school, but instead came to CRC to
pitch for then coach Rod Beilby. Rather than use Dye as a pitcher, Beilby said he saw Dye as
more of a hitter and moved him to the outfield.

Dye played for CRC during the 1992-1993 season, where he finished his freshman year leading the team in slugging percentage (.744), on base percentage (.480), batting average (.397) and doubles (13).

As an outfielder, Dye recorded nine assists and was second on the team in runs scored with 29.

In conference play, Dye led the team in runs scored, hits and doubles. After a record season, Dye was named the Bay Valley Conference Most Valuable Player for the 1993 season.

After one season at CRC, Dye was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 17th round of the 1993 Major League Baseball draft. He played 2 1/2 years in the minor leagues and was named MVP in both Class A and Double-A baseball.

After posting impressive numbers in the minors, Dye finally got the call up to the major leagues and made his debut for the Braves on May 17, 1996. Dye made the most of his opportunity after launching a home run against the Cincinnati Reds in his first major league at bat.

Dye was traded to the Kansas City Royals in 1997 where he played four seasons. He was named to the American League All-Star team in 2000, and won a Gold Glove for outstanding defensive play in the outfield.

Dye was traded to the Oakland Athletics on July 25, 2001 as part of a three-team trade. Dye played four seasons for the Athletics and was part of the infamous “Moneyball” team.

In 2005, Dye played for the Chicago White Sox and won a World Series. Dye was also named the World Series’ MVP after hitting .438 with a home run and three RBIs in four games.

In 2006, Dye hit a career high 44 home runs and was second in the American League in that category. Dye also won a Silver Slugger Award for the highest batting average in the American League and made his second All-Star team.

After 14 seasons in the majors, Dye retired after hitting 325 career home runs and knocking in over 1,000 runs.