2011 Hall of Fame

Joe Keenan -  In 1968, a non-profit organization named Sports.Inc. Headed by Joe Keenan approached business man John Stepp about financing a proposed exhibition double header between a local All-Star team and the fabled Goldpanners of Fairbanks. Mr. Stepp agreed to meet the financial demands of the Goldpanners and the City of Anchorage and proceeded to handle all promotion of the games. In spite of the fact that the Goldpanners drubbed the locals by lopsided scores in both games, the game was a huge financial success and netted Mr. Stepp several thousand dollars. He promptly placed the money in a separate account and notified Sports.Inc that they could use the money only under the condition that it be used to bring a top flight baseball team to Anchorage.  Joe Keenan then proceeded to contact Paul Deese in California and persuaded him to fly to Anchorage to meet with Sports Inc. to discuss the possibility of recruiting and managing the Anchorage team for the 1969 season. Deese met with the Sports Inc Group and signed a contract to accept the coaching job. After setting the schedule for the following season Sports Inc. bowed out of the picture for a more energetic John Stepp. However Joe Keenan and Sports Inc. will always be remembered as the group who brought Paul Deese to Anchorage and initiated the start of a baseball dynasty.

John Stepp proceeded to put together the financing of the Glacier Pilots by forming a corporation called the Anchorage Baseball Club Inc. This group was originally composed of local citizens Stepp, Bob Reeve, Pug Davis, Asa Marten, Wally Martens, Frank Harris, Earl Jones, Ken Hinchey, Bill Sheffield, Connie Occhipinti and Roger Cremo.  It was in honor of the original Glacier Pilot Bob Reeve that the local team acquired its name. Reeve was elected Chairman of the Board and Stepp was elected President of the Club. Together the proceeded to spearhead the behind the scenes activities necessary to insure manager Paul Deese and his first Pilot team the kind of organization and support required to achieve success.  That first year John Stepp gave more of himself for the benefit of the Pilots than any one person could ever expect to give. Without his untiring efforts that first year, it is unlikely the Pilots would have ever gotten off the ground. The results of his efforts are now history but the people of Anchorage will be forever indebted to him for being the driving force behind the original Glacier Pilot organization.

"Randy" (Randall Leo) Jones born January 12, 1950 in Fullerton, California was nicknamed "Junkman", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He attended Chapman University in Orange, California. He was known for his sinker and the large number of ground-ball outs he induced.  During his Glacier Pilots career he established himself as one of the most dominant pitchers in the teams’ history going 16-4 in his 2 years with the club and leading the Glacier Pilots team to a runner up National finish in 1970 and a National Championship in 1971. Both years he won 3 games in Wichita at the National tournament. He still holds the Glacier Pilots record for most wins in a season with 9.  Jones was drafted in the 5th round by the San Diego Padres in the 1972 Major League Baseball Draft and made his major league debut on June 16, 1973.    In 1974, Jones went 8-22 with a 4.45 ERA. He was able to turn it around in 1975 when he won 20 games and led the National League with a 2.24 ERA earning The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award honors. His best season was in 1976, when he went 22-14 with a 2.74 ERA, winning the National League Cy Young Award and being named The Sporting News NL Pitcher of the Year. He was selected as the left-handed pitcher on The Sporting News NL All-Star Teams after the 1975 and 1976 seasons.  Jones owns the distinction of recording a save for the NL in the 1975 All Star game and being the starting and winning pitcher the next year. He entered the 1976 All-Star Game with a record of 16-3, an All Star break win total that no one has equaled since. During his last start of the 1976 season, he injured a nerve in his pitching arm that required exploratory surgery, and he was never quite able to regain his Cy Young form.  Jones pitched effectively for San Diego through the 1980 season. On December 15, 1980, he was traded to the New York Mets. After the 1982 season, Jones signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was released by the Pirates before the 1983 season started, thus ending his playing career.  After his retirement, Jones' uniform #35 was retired by the Padres.  After retiring from Major League Baseball, Jones has coached young pitchers. His 2 most prominent pupils were Barry Zito, a current Major League pitcher with the San Francisco Giants and the 2002 Cy Young Award winner while with the Oakland Athletics and with Glacier Pilots very own Trevor Bayless. He also owns Randy Jones All American Grill, Randy Jones Big Stone Lodge, the home of his catering business Randy Jones Buckboard Catering. The Big Stone Lodge also sells a barbecue sauce that bears Jones' name. Jones also is involved in the San Diego Padres local radio broadcast pregame show.