Wake Forest Legend Dr. Gene Hooks Selected to 2025 College Baseball Hall of Fame Class
6/23/2025 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
A Wake Forester in the truest sense, Dr. Gene Hooks attended the college in its original home of Wake Forest, N.C. He gained All-America honors as a third baseman in both 1949 and 1950 for the Deacon baseball squad, and he served as Director of Athletics at Wake Forest from 1964-1992.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – One of the most iconic figures in Wake Forest University history, Dr. Gene Hooks, has been named to the 2025 class of the College Baseball Hall of Fame, the College Baseball Foundation announced Monday.
A two-time All-American third baseman, pioneering athletics director, and namesake of Wake Forest's baseball stadium, Hooks' selection affirms a lifelong impact on college baseball and higher education. He joins a distinguished class that includes five national players of the year and three national championship-winning coaches.
Hooks helped elevate Wake Forest's national profile in collegiate athletics during a career that spanned nearly five decades — first as a standout student-athlete, then as a beloved professor, and finally as the University's Director of Athletics from 1964 to 1992.
As a student-athlete, Hooks starred for the Demon Deacon baseball team from 1947-1950 and was named an All-American in both 1949 and 1950. He batted .335 for his career and helped lead Wake Forest to a runner-up finish at the 1949 College World Series, earning All-Tournament Team honors. Following a professional playing career in the Chicago Cubs organization, Hooks returned to Wake Forest to begin a decades-long legacy of leadership in education and athletics.
During his 28-year tenure as Wake Forest's Director of Athletics, Hooks ushered in a period of unprecedented growth and transformation. He oversaw the construction of Groves Stadium (now Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium), Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the Leighton Tennis Stadium, and the Gene Hooks Baseball Stadium, which was named in his honor in 1988. Under his leadership, Wake Forest teams captured three national championships and 21 ACC titles.
Hooks also played a pivotal role in the integration of college athletics in the South, working alongside university leadership to welcome Robert Grant and Kenneth "Butch" Henry as the first Black football student-athletes at a Division I school in the region. His quiet courage and advocacy laid a foundation for generations of Demon Deacons to follow.
In 2007, Wake Forest established the Gene Hooks Lifetime Achievement Award, which honors former student-athletes, coaches, and administrators who exemplify the values of integrity, leadership, and service that defined Hooks' career.
His legacy extends beyond Wake Forest. Hooks served as the first executive director of the Division I-A Athletic Directors Association and was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.
Dr. Hooks will be formally honored at the 2026 Night of Champions ceremony in Overland Park, Kansas — the ceremonial kickoff to the 2026 college baseball season.
What They're Saying:
About the College Baseball Foundation
The purpose of the College Baseball Foundation (CBF) is to preserve, elevate, and advance the game; to inspire the next generation; to teach those who love college baseball about its rich history and traditions; to celebrate those who make college baseball special; and to honor those who have come before us, and built the foundation upon which college baseball thrives today.
About Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is known for its distinctive combination of world-class academics, unrivaled campus experience, intimate learning environment and Power 4 athletics in a top-growing metro market. A Charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Demon Deacons have won 59 conference titles and are one of nine ACC schools to win 11 or more national championships. Additionally, with 1.7 million people within 30 miles of campus, Wake Forest anchors the Winston-Salem and Triad market, which ranks as ESPN's seventh-best nationally from a viewership perspective.
Wake Forest's comprehensive excellence includes its highly regarded school of medicine, business school, law school and an innovative department of engineering. Additionally, Wake Forest has campuses across Winston-Salem, Charlotte and Washington, DC – providing many academic offerings to students from across the nation and around the world.
Learn more about Wake Forest University at www.wfu.edu and at GoDeacs.com.
A two-time All-American third baseman, pioneering athletics director, and namesake of Wake Forest's baseball stadium, Hooks' selection affirms a lifelong impact on college baseball and higher education. He joins a distinguished class that includes five national players of the year and three national championship-winning coaches.
Hooks helped elevate Wake Forest's national profile in collegiate athletics during a career that spanned nearly five decades — first as a standout student-athlete, then as a beloved professor, and finally as the University's Director of Athletics from 1964 to 1992.
As a student-athlete, Hooks starred for the Demon Deacon baseball team from 1947-1950 and was named an All-American in both 1949 and 1950. He batted .335 for his career and helped lead Wake Forest to a runner-up finish at the 1949 College World Series, earning All-Tournament Team honors. Following a professional playing career in the Chicago Cubs organization, Hooks returned to Wake Forest to begin a decades-long legacy of leadership in education and athletics.
During his 28-year tenure as Wake Forest's Director of Athletics, Hooks ushered in a period of unprecedented growth and transformation. He oversaw the construction of Groves Stadium (now Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium), Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the Leighton Tennis Stadium, and the Gene Hooks Baseball Stadium, which was named in his honor in 1988. Under his leadership, Wake Forest teams captured three national championships and 21 ACC titles.
Hooks also played a pivotal role in the integration of college athletics in the South, working alongside university leadership to welcome Robert Grant and Kenneth "Butch" Henry as the first Black football student-athletes at a Division I school in the region. His quiet courage and advocacy laid a foundation for generations of Demon Deacons to follow.
In 2007, Wake Forest established the Gene Hooks Lifetime Achievement Award, which honors former student-athletes, coaches, and administrators who exemplify the values of integrity, leadership, and service that defined Hooks' career.
His legacy extends beyond Wake Forest. Hooks served as the first executive director of the Division I-A Athletic Directors Association and was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.
Dr. Hooks will be formally honored at the 2026 Night of Champions ceremony in Overland Park, Kansas — the ceremonial kickoff to the 2026 college baseball season.
What They're Saying:
- Vice President & Director of Athletics John Currie:
- "Dr. Gene Hooks continues to be a friend, mentor and inspirational leadership example for me and many others here at Wake Forest University. From his All-American baseball playing days starring on Wake Forest's first College World Series team, to his transformational leadership and vision for Wake Forest Athletics as athletics director in four different decades, and to his progressive advocacy with President Harold Tribble to establishing Wake Forest University as a leader integrating major college athletics in the South, Dr. Hooks embodies the Pro Humanitate motto of our University. His competitive spirit raised the standard of excellence for Wake Forest, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the entire Winston-Salem community and inspires us still."
- Head Baseball Coach Tom Walter:
- "Dr. Gene Hooks is the cornerstone of Wake Forest Baseball. His legacy as an All-American player, pioneering leader, and visionary administrator laid the foundation for everything our program stands for today. To see him recognized with induction into the College Baseball Hall of Fame is both fitting and inspiring. Our players, staff, and alumni are proud to carry on the tradition he built, and we're thrilled to celebrate this well-deserved honor with him."
About the College Baseball Foundation
The purpose of the College Baseball Foundation (CBF) is to preserve, elevate, and advance the game; to inspire the next generation; to teach those who love college baseball about its rich history and traditions; to celebrate those who make college baseball special; and to honor those who have come before us, and built the foundation upon which college baseball thrives today.
About Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is known for its distinctive combination of world-class academics, unrivaled campus experience, intimate learning environment and Power 4 athletics in a top-growing metro market. A Charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Demon Deacons have won 59 conference titles and are one of nine ACC schools to win 11 or more national championships. Additionally, with 1.7 million people within 30 miles of campus, Wake Forest anchors the Winston-Salem and Triad market, which ranks as ESPN's seventh-best nationally from a viewership perspective.
Wake Forest's comprehensive excellence includes its highly regarded school of medicine, business school, law school and an innovative department of engineering. Additionally, Wake Forest has campuses across Winston-Salem, Charlotte and Washington, DC – providing many academic offerings to students from across the nation and around the world.
Learn more about Wake Forest University at www.wfu.edu and at GoDeacs.com.
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