Atley Donald

Truly an extraordinary athlete with great competitive skills, this Downsville, La., native was a baseball standout here in 1930, 1931 and 1933, missing the 1932 season with an eye injury. After departing Tech, Donald ventured to Florida asking for a tryout with the New York Yankees. Duly impressed with a fast ball clocked at nearly 100 miles per hour, the Yankees signed Atley and he eventually played on four World Series champions. He set a major league record as a rookie by winning his first 12 games and went on to compile a 66-33 record in 7 ½ major league seasons. An arm operation forced him to retire in 1945, after which he became an outstanding scout for the Yankees for over 30 years.