SAN BRUNO, Calif. – BYU baseball great Wally Joyner will be one of 10 individuals inducted into the West Coast Conference Hall of Honor on Saturday, Mar. 7, at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, the conference announced Wednesday.
An All-American who played first base at BYU from 1981-83, Joyner spent 16 seasons in the major leagues on his way to being named an All-Star and playing in the 1998 World Series. He then went on to a successful post-playing career, including coaching with multiple teams, appearing in movies and working with various companies and non-profit organizations (see full bio below).
“The West Coast Conference is honored to celebrate the accomplishments of these former student-athletes and coaches as we celebrate the enduring legacy of our 12th induction class during the WCC Basketball Tournaments in Las Vegas,” said West Coast Conference Commissioner Gloria Nevarez. “The 2020 Hall of Honor class represents the long-standing commitment by our member institutions to develop student-athletes by fostering an environment of athletic and academic excellence. These inductees excelled in a wide variety of sports while showcasing diverse paths to the top of their chosen athletic pursuits.”
The 2020 WCC Hall of Honor class includes: BYU's Wally Joyner (Baseball), Gonzaga’s Heather Bowman (Women’s Basketball), Loyola Marymount’s Terrell Lowery (Men’s Basketball), Pacific’s Dell Demps (Men’s Basketball), Pepperdine’s Nina Matthies (Women’s Volleyball), Portland’s David Kinsella (Cross Country/Track), Saint Mary’s Ruth Montgomery (Women’s Soccer), San Diego’s Hank Egan (Men’s Basketball), San Francisco’s Taggert Bozied (Baseball) and Santa Clara’s Aly Wagner (Women’s Soccer).
The Hall of Honor class will be formally inducted at the WCC Hall of Honor Brunch on Saturday, March 7 at 9 a.m. PT at the Mardi Gras Ballroom in the Orleans Hotel and each inductee will be honored throughout the course of the basketball tournaments.
Tickets to the WCC Hall of Honor Brunch & Induction Ceremony are available to the public for $40 and may be purchased by contacting Lindsey Jones in the WCC office at Ljones@westcoast.org. Tickets must be purchased by Monday, February 24.
Wally Joyner Bio
A native of Decatur, Georgia, Wally Joyner came out west to Brigham Young University in 1981 and instantly became a driving force in one of the greatest eras in Cougar baseball history. A three-year starter at first base, Joyner was a two-time All-WAC and All-Region selection before being named an All-American his junior year in 1983 when the Cougars reached a No. 1 national ranking.
Joyner set eight school and 11 conference records at BYU and is still in the top 10 in program history in career batting average, hits, doubles, home runs, total bases, RBI and putouts.
Following his junior season, Joyner was picked in the third round by the California Angels and began his professional career. Three years later, the left-hander burst onto the Major League Baseball stage for the Angels. He not only started for the club, he also did so for the American League in the 1986 All-Star Game as a rookie in addition to tying for first in the Home Run Derby. He would eventually finish runner-up for the Rookie of the Year award.
Joyner would go on to play 16 seasons in the majors, including stints with the Angels, Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves. He reached the postseason four times, including the 1998 World Series with the Padres after hitting .313 against his hometown Braves to win the NL pennant. He led the American League twice and the National League twice in fielding percentage at first base, finishing his career with a .994 fielding percentage.
Joyner retired in 2001 after totaling a .289 batting average with 2,060 hits (including 409 doubles, 26 triples and 204 home runs), 973 runs, 1,106 RBI and 833 walks in 2,033 games played.
Joyner has since enjoyed a productive and successful post-playing career. He was a coach for nine years, first as a hitting coach and instructor with the San Diego Padres, a hitting and first base coach with the Philadelphia Phillies and as the Detroit Tigers hitting coach.
Joyner has also appeared in half a dozen movies, worked as a business executive and served and supported multiple non-profit institutions. He and his wife, Lesly, have been married for 37 years and have four children.