Craig Biggio: Seton Hall's First Baseball Hall of Famer

Sept. 30, 2015

Craig Alan Biggio grew up in Kings Park, N.Y. a mere 200 miles from Cooperstown, N.Y. But his path to baseball’s shrine led him first to South Orange for three years and then Houston, Texas for 20 more. Finally, on July 26, after 2,850 games, 3,060 hits and seven All-Star Game appearances as a member of the Astros, Biggio’s trip was made complete with his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

“It was an amazing feeling for obvious reasons,” Biggio said. “We came so close the year before, but it doesn’t matter, we were able to get in this year and what an exciting time it was for me, my family and the organization, and obviously the sea of orange and pirate blue that was up there. We had a great time.”

Biggio joined fellow 2015 inductees Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz on stage in Cooperstown as part of the largest class elected by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in 60 years. He was the first of the four to deliver his speech.

Coach Shep's motto was `Never Lose Your Hustle,' which is
something I took
to my pro career.

“What an incredible honor it is to be standing in front of these great men,” remarked Biggio to begin his Hall of Fame speech. “I played against a lot of them, I admired a lot of them, but I respected all of them.”

The only player in Major League Baseball history with at least 3,000 hits, 600 doubles, 400 stolen bases and 250 home runs, Biggio earned induction in his third year of eligibility. In 2014, he came painfully close to the 75.0 percent of the ballots needed, registering 74.8 percent. This year, Biggio garnered 82.7 percent.

“Since getting the call in January, everyone has been so kind,” Biggio said. “Whenever people reflect back on your life and the successes that you’ve had, it’s very humbling. You get a lot of letters, emails and text messages from former teammates and coaches and fans. It’s been great, really nice. People have been very appreciative of how I played the game.”

How Biggio played the game was fostered at a young age. It’s emblematic of how he approaches life. If you want to be successful, you have to work hard. It’s a lesson that he learned in large part during his three years in South Orange as a member of the Seton Hall Pirates baseball program. His college coach, the legendary Mike Sheppard, had a prime seat to see his former pupil inducted, but Biggio was happy to spin the praise back on his mentor during his speech.

“I went to Seton Hall University, where I met my wife Patty, and had three great years there. My college coach was Mike Sheppard. He was a tough man. He was a marine. He was a disciplinarian, but he kept you in line. Most of all, he loved his players and he had their backs no matter what. The man had 999 wins and had hundreds of players drafted. Coach Shep’s motto was ‘Never Lose Your Hustle,’ which is something I took to my pro career. I’m very grateful to have played for you, Shep. Thank you.”

As he indicated in his speech, Seton Hall was where he first met his wife, Patty, who is a graduate from the nursing program. The pair have been married 25 years and have three children, sons Conor and Cavan, and a daughter, Quinn.

“She’s been great for me. You know you have to balance it out between on the field and off the field and our family values were always utmost number one,” Biggio said. “I think to be able to be a professional baseball player and also live a normal life… that’s where a spouse comes into play. She’s done an amazing job with our children, and making sure I stay in line. I’m a lucky man.”

Mike Sheppard (left) with Craig Biggio

Biggio’s life could’ve turned out significantly different had he not decided on Seton Hall as his college choice. The high school standout didn’t want to stray too far from home, but wanted a quality education and the opportunity to be seen by MLB scouts. Biggio was impressed with Sheppard and the baseball program he ran. The Pirates seemed to be the obvious choice, but Biggio says his final decision came down to a choice made by another former Pirate catcher.

“Tony DeFrancesco was a catcher that was there, and I told Ed Blankmeyer, who was an assistant at Seton Hall at the time, that if Tony signed an MLB contract and left, then I would come, because I wanted to have an opportunity to earn a starting catching spot as a freshman. Tony signed, and the rest is history.”

DeFrancesco, who went on to become Seton Hall’s first MLB manager in 2012, was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the ninth round of the 1984 draft. He signed with Boston, and Biggio made his decision to join Seton Hall shortly after. Coincidentally, in his only season as a big league manager, DeFrancesco managed the Houston Astros. Biggio’s playing career in Houston had ended only five years earlier.

Craig Biggio

When Biggio arrived at Seton Hall, he dominated college baseball almost immediately. A two-time first-team All-BIG EAST selection, Biggio was named NJBCA Player of the Year in 1986 and first-team All-America by Baseball America in 1987. He led the Pirates to a three-year record of 121-55-1 and their first BIG EAST Championship in 1987. That year, he batted primarily third in the Pirates’ order, one spot ahead of former AL MVP Mo Vaughn, another Pirate legend.

I don't think I could have picked a better school to go to or better coaches to play for."

Furthermore, Biggio is Seton Hall's career leader in triples, is second in runs scored and ranks in the Pirates' top-10 in 18 other single-season and career statistical categories. A career .342 batter with 27 home runs, 148 RBIs and 90 steals, he was inducted into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996 and saw his #44 retired in 2012.

Now officially Seton Hall University’s first National Baseball Hall of Famer, Biggio often reminisces about his time wearing Pirate blue and white. The path to greatness can lead you all over the country. It can span decades. But for this humble new inductee, it all started on the East Coast, and in particular, Owen T. Carroll Field.

“Seton Hall had a huge impact on my life,” Biggio said. The coaches, Monsignor Sullivan, who was the baseball chaplain, teachers, the environment… I was just a hard-working kid from a small town on Long Island, and I went to a blue-collar, hard-working University. It had a baseball program with a tradition that taught me if you want to be successful in life, you’ve got to work. It’s when you start resting on your laurels that you become complacent. That mindset had a huge impact on me. I don’t think I could have picked a better school to go to or better coaches to play for.”