Murray Cook, a Salem native and Salem High School graduate, will be inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame this weekend in Virginia Beach. Cook is part of a star-studded induction class that includes basketball analyst Dan Bonner, former NBA great Joe Smith, former MLB star Lou Whitaker, and former Ferrum football great Ed George. The 9-person induction class also includes Brandon Adair, Ali Kreiger, Harry Minium, Jr., and Mike Smith.
Cook has played a key role in baseball field design and development around the globe. After beginning his career in field management in his hometown at Kiwanis Field in the early 1970’, Cook joined Major League Baseball as its official field consultant in 1991 and still holds that role to this day. In this position, Cook has overseen development of Major League level fields in over 60 countries and has managed multiple ballpark projects including the London Series in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Stadium, the MLB Field of Dreams Field in Iowa, the MLB Fort Bragg Game in North Carolina, and the recent renovations at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
He has previously been honored as the 1991 Sportsturf Man of the Year, and “MLB at Fort Bragg” was named the 2016 Ballpark of the Year. He is President of Brightview Sports is a past President of the National Sportsfield Managers Association. He was inducted into the Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006 and in 2021 Salem City Council officially proclaimed September 27, 2021 as “Murray Cook Day” in his hometown.
Cook has always been willing to provide advice and share his expertise to enhance his hometown fields at Kiwanis, The Moyer Complex, and Salem Memorial Ballpark.
Cook will have some Salem company in the Hall of Fame, as he joins two recent inductees with ties to the city. In 2023, former Roanoke College Lacrosse All-American Bob Rotanz became just the third lacrosse player to enter the hall of fame, and Salem Communications Director Mike Stevens became the first local sportscaster in the state to earn induction to the hall in 2015. Roanoke College also has three others in the hall of fame, all with ties to men’s basketball. They are Frankie Allen, and the late Paul Rice and Charlies Moir.
Here is a LINK to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame website.