It’s called the Racer Baseball Tony Gwinn Memorial Wood Bat Tournament for good reason.
Gwinn played ball at Newcastle, went on to sign with the New York Yankees, and played baseball with A and AA clubs in New York and Florida. He was also a coach for the Racers. He passed away from cancer on November 8, 2019.
Last Thursday night as the Racers were hosting the Wood Bat Tournament, they also remembered Gwinn.
A story from the archives of the at the time of Gwinn’s death is as follows.
Gwinn (born James Anthony Gwinn) was born on July 10, 1964, to James and Norma Beal Gwinn. Tony Gwinn graduated from Newcastle High School in 1982 after becoming the Racers’ very first baseball All-state baseball player.
“He was just an unbelievable guy,” Newcastle baseball head coach Mike Crossley said. “He was an outstanding person. He was my assistant and a head coach for years. He was just a tremendous person and I don’t think anybody could say a bad thing about him. He was truly a great guy – a great family man and a Christian man. I knew him very well and I will miss him so much.”
After high school, Gwinn played catcher for Seminole Junior College in Oklahoma from 1983-84. He played on teams that went a whopping 80-18 and 74-10 – including a trip to the National Junior College World Series (NJCAA).
Gwinn spent the summer of 1985 with the Liberal Bee Jays, who went 47-10 and were the champions of the NBC (National Baseball Congress) World Series. He played shortly for Oklahoma City University (OCU) after that.
Gwinn was a catcher for The University of Oklahoma in 1986. The Sooners under head coach Enos Semore went 44-21 overall and 19-3 in Big 8 competition.
Gwinn went on to a minor league baseball career for the New York Yankees organization. He played in 1987 for Prince William of the Class A Carolina League and for Class A Oneonta of the New York-Pennsylvania League.
In 1988, he played for Class A Prince William, Class A Fort Lauderdale of the Florida State League, and the Class AA Albany-Colonie Yankees of the Eastern League.
In 1989, he ended his baseball playing career at Prince William and Fort Lauderdale. In three seasons of minor league ball, Gwinn hit .223 with six home runs and 58 runs batted in.
He continued to coach high school baseball. In the summer of 1992, his team from Norman High School reached the American Legion World Series in Roseburg, Oregon.
At the time of his death, Gwinn was teaching physical education and health at Hefner Middle School in the Putnam City School district. He was also a member of Faith Church in Oklahoma City, and he was a referee for the OSSAA in football, baseball, and basketball.
Crossley remembers very well how he played “Cupid” for Gwinn and his wife of 25 years.
“We always had a New Year’s Eve party,” Crossley said. “His wife, Valary, had a sister named Angie and we all went to Del City High School together. I told Valary, ‘Hey, I got someone you have to meet!’ Of course, my wife, Vickie, was hesitant at first. ‘Don’t be setting people up,’ she said. But, I was the one who set them up on a blind date and the rest is history, I guess.”
Another occasion that Crossley remembers fondly is a double-date to Norman.
“The first time we went out together, we all went to Charleston’s in Norman,” Crossley remembered. “Troy Aikman was there — in his playing prime with the Dallas Cowboys — and they sat him and his entourage right away. But, we got to sit right next to him soon after. It was a special evening.” Crossley (as well as many others) will look back with fond memories of Gwinn.
“Tony was a special guy,” Crossley added. “He was a guy that you would always love to have on your side. You could count on him. He was very particular about how he would do things.
“He always wanted to be right and do the right thing. He’s certainly going to be missed.
“He coached a lot of American Legion baseball during the summers. He had some really good ball clubs. He’s just going to be missed a lot here on Earth. I think Heaven is getting a heck of a man.”
