Former Houston Astros and UT pitcher Greg Swindell honored by HISD
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Growing up in Houston as a fan of the Astros, Greg Swindell often attended games at the Astrodome.
Sometimes, without paying for a ticket.
"We used to sneak into the dome," Swindell admitted while smiling. "My friend's dad worked for Budweiser, so we would go through the back loading dock."
Years later, Swindell was back in the dome, but this time, he was pitching for his hometown team from 1993 to 1996 as part of a 17-year Major League Baseball career.
"I wanted to play for the Astros," Swindell recalled. "I wanted to come home."
Now, Swindell has come home again.
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ABC13 visited the former University of Texas star at his new home in Cypress where he recently moved after living in the Austin area for several years.
"We call Houston our home," Swindell said during an interview Friday. "That's the great thing: our family's here, and when you grew up here, you still have a lot of friends here."
And a lot of success.
Swindell is part of the inaugural class being inducted into the newly-created Houston Independent School District Athletic Hall of Honors.
In 1982, he helped lead Sharpstown High School to its second-ever state title with a 14-0 record and 0.65 ERA.
"I threw strikes, got the ball over the plate and got outs," Swindell said simply of his pitching craft.
He also got a bunch of rings. He's won an MLB World Series title with the Arizona Diamondbacks, a NCAA championship as an assistant coach with the University of Texas to go along with that state title in '82.
Now, it's another Hall of Fame nod for a man who's already been inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame, Texas Sports Hall of Fame and UT's Longhorn Hall of Honor.
"To have this honor, and do it for all the athletes, all the parents and all the families who have come through the area, it's a great honor," Swindell said.
This time, it's in his hometown and he doesn't have to worry about sneaking in to anything. After what he's accomplished, he's earned his way in.
