BACK TOGETHER AGAIN: Major League Baseball Hall of Famers Eddie Murray (right) and Ozzie Smith are reunited at Locke High School in Watts for the names of the baseball field in their honor.
Green Dot Public School named the newly renovated baseball and softball fields at Alain LeRoy Locke College Prep Academy after two of Locke High School’s most famous alumni: baseball Hall of Famers Ozzie Smith and Eddie Murray. Both graduated from Locke in 1973 and attended the field dedication event, which took place last Saturday May 9.
“I’m very humbled and honored to be in your presence,” Smith told a gathering of Locke alumni. “I cannot tell you how it makes me feel … how proud I am to be able to go around and tell people where I went to school and having the opportunity I did.”
Said Murray: “I never stopped talking where I came from.”
Green Dot Public Schools now runs Locke, which has undergone extensive changes since the days when Murray and Smith were around.
Both came to the school on Friday to speak with baseball and softball players. Both are hoping to inspire students to strive to be the best.
“We need to get our kids back to learning how to dream,” Murray said.
To baseball fans, neither Smith nor Murray need an introduction.
Known as “The Wizard of Oz,” Smith established himself as one of the sport’s all-time great defensive players. He helped redefined the shortstop position with his acrobatic flair and was a 13-time Gold Glove Award winner and 15-time All-Star during a career with the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals. Smith helped the Cardinals win a World Series and set multiple Major League records for his position. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.
Murray was the third player in Major League Baseball to record 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, following Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1977 and played more games at first base than any other player. In 1983, he helped lead the Baltimore Orioles to a World Series victory. Murray played three seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1989 to 1992 before returning to the team in 1997. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.
“This New Baseball Field brings new opportunities for future successes for Locke High School, for the future of our baseball players, and our community,” said Locke baseball coach Angel Trujillo. “It takes a village to motivate and grow, in our case, it’s a baseball field.”
The Locke High transformation dates back to 2008, when Green Dot Public Schools joined with teachers, parents and the community to transform the school and split it into several small, safe, personalized learning academies. Green Dot instilled a college-going culture of safety, accountability, and personalized learning. B y 2012, the first full cohort of 9th graders graduated, at rates significantly higher than at comparable schools across Los Angeles Unified School District. According to a study conducted by UCLA’s National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST), students at the transformed Locke were 1.5 times more likely to graduate and 3.7 times more likely to complete coursework that prepares them for college.
“Our mission at Green Dot is to transform public education so all students graduate prepared for college, leadership, and life,” de Jesus said. “Included in a great public education is the character-building that extracurricular activities such as sports provide. We are thrilled that we can provide our students with facilities such as our new playing fields.”
