ATLANTA--Bob Heck, Georgia State's legendary softball coach, was inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club Softball Hall of Fame in a ceremony Saturday afternoon.
Heck has been a fixture at Georgia State for three decades, coaching 1,274 games since elevating the softball program to fast-pitch status in 1985. Entering his 24th season at the helm, he needs just five victories to reach the 700-win plateau.
Now a member of the Dugout Club's third Hall of Fame class, Heck is recognized as a pioneer of softball in the state of Georgia as his Panthers were the first NCAA-sanctioned fast-pitch program in the state.
"I am humbled beyond words," said Heck. "I am very grateful to Georgia State, and I'm proud to be associated with such a fine university. I am also very thankful to the people who have helped me so much along the way, especially my assistant coaches and all the young ladies I've had the privilege to coach."
Coach Heck was presented for induction by Kennesaw State's Hall of Fame head coach, Scott Whitlock.
"Bob Heck is one of the most caring and charitable men I know," said Whitlock. "I know personally of the scores of young women whose lives have been enriched by what he's done for them. He is a champion in the game of life, and the state of Georgia and Georgia State University are better off because of Bob Heck."
Heck has guided his Georgia State teams to six conference championships, highlighted by an NCAA Regional berth in 1994. He was named Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year in 2006, when he led the Panthers to the conference's regular season title in their first season in the CAA. He also earned Coach of the Year accolades in GSU's former home, the Atlantic Sun Conference.
During his tenure, more than 80 student-athletes have earned first or second-team all-conference honors.
Heck's student-athletes have also excelled in the classroom. Last fall, the softball team posted a team grade point average of 3.40, with 10 individuals on the Dean's List or President's List.
Georgia State's softball complex at Panthersville is named Bob Heck Field in recognition of his generosity in the construction of the top-notch venue, which includes an indoor practice facility. Heck is one of eight Founding Life Members of the Panther Athletic Club, the fund-raising arm of Georgia State Athletics, and he was honored with Georgia State's Sparks Award in 2005 for his service to the University.
Georgia State, which has posted five consecutive winning seasons, opens the 2011 season by hosting the Georgia State First Pitch Classic, Feb. 12-13 at Bob Heck Field.
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