Former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier was officially enshrined into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame during a ceremony for the class of 2020 at the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale.
Along with Ethier, the class of 2020 included John Bridger, Joe Caldwell, Ann Meyers Drysdale, Roland Hemond, Phil Mickelson, and Paul Westphal (posthumously).
To be eligible for the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, an individual must be a native of Arizona, immediately recognized as an Arizonan and/or have made at least two significant contributions to the athletics community in the state.
The induction ceremony for the 50th Arizona Sports Hall of Fame class was originally scheduled for April 23. However, it was pushed back due to ongoing safety concerns with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and Westphal’s passing in January.
Being added to the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame was a humbling moment for Ethier, per Jeremiah Sosa of the Arizona Republic:
“It’s unbelievable, what an honor, first being an Arizona born and raised kid, growing up in downtown Phoenix, and now standing here today on this red carpet is one of those ‘pinch yourself’ moments,” said Ethier. “You look on the long list of inductees before me and to be now put into the same Arizona Sports Hall of Fame as them is a big honor and a big privilege.”
Ethier starred at St. Mary’s Catholic High School in Phoenix, then went on to Chandler-Gilbert Community College before finishing at Arizona State University.
Over two years with the Sun Devils, Ethier started 115 games and hit .371 with 14 home runs and 118 RBI. He was named an All-American by CollegeBaseballInsider.com in 2003, and was a two-time First Team All-Pac-10 member.
ASU retired Ethier’s No. 14 jersey in February 2016.
Over 12 years with the Dodgers, Ethier was a two-time All-Star, won Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards, and finished his career batting .285/.359/.463 while having appeared in 1,455 games.
Ethier retired with a Dodgers franchise record of 51 postseason games played, though that was broken by Yasiel Puig as he reached 58 in 2018.
Meyers is of course known within the Dodgers organization as the widow of Don Drysdale, but she carved out a successful athletics career herself.
Meyers became first female to receive a four-year athletic scholarship to any university when she enrolled at UCLA. She went on to earn induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and UCLA Sports Hall of Fame.
Ethier on Instagram
Although Ethier has maintained ties to the Dodgers organization and made multiple appearances on social media, it wasn’t until this past August he created a personal Instagram account. Ethier is now relatively active on the social media platform, where he not only posts regularly but often interacts with fans.
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