Poole was diagnosed with ALS last year. | Georgia Tech
Poole was diagnosed with ALS last year. | Georgia Tech
Many people dream of leaving a lasting legacy. Former Yellow Jacket baseball player Jim Poole will be doing just that.
The Georgia Tech athletics department has recently established the Friends of Jim Poole endowed scholarship, Georgia Tech reported in a release. Poole was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease last year.
"I am honored and humbled by the creation of the Jim Poole Scholarship for Georgia Tech Baseball," Poole said in the press release. "The entirety of my time on campus as a student-athlete shaped me like no other period of my life."
After a solid career at Georgia Tech in the '80s, Poole was an MLB relief pitcher. He played across 11 seasons in the big leagues from 1990-2000, Georgia Tech reported.
The endowment will provide Georgia Tech baseball players with an opportunity to learn life skills and lessons through baseball while providing a strong support system, Georgia Tech reported.
"My many failures made me stronger. My successes were earned and empowering," Poole said of his days at Georgia Tech. "Coaches and professors demanded my best, teammates and classmates kept me accountable, alumni offered wisdom and counsel, and my friends (most especially my wife Kim) helped create memories that never fail to generate smiles and heartfelt laughter."
Poole helped Georgia Tech win four Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament championships in a row, starting in 1985, Georgia Tech reported. He boasts the Georgia Tech record in career saves with 22, 10 of which he made as a junior and nine as a senior. He also made the All-ACC team during his final two seasons playing with the Yellow Jackets.
Alerts Sign-up