The British Baseball Hall of Fame (BBHOF) announced the Class of 2023, which features two ‘Game Builders’, those inducted for their contributions to grassroots sport, development of new players, and contributions to baseball in Britain.
The Historic Committee selected Charlie Muirhead, while Craig Savage was the sole honouree from the Modern Ballot.
Charlie Muirhead worked tirelessly to promote baseball in Britain for almost two decades. From 1918 to 34, the Canadian native helped start teams and leagues, hosted a baseball radio show, and organised exhibitions with elite players from the U.S. and Japan. He introduced the game to new audiences, including one of Britain's earliest women's teams, through coaching and organising equipment donations. On his death in 1949, the Gloucester Echo said of Muirhead that he was a "pioneer of baseball in Britain, the founder and, for many years, secretary of the Anglo-American Baseball Association'.
During one of the most competitive eras in British baseball history (1993–2006), Craig Savage led the Brighton Buccaneers to six National Championship Finals in seven years, winning three, all the while setting a new standard for club organisation. After finishing runner-up in the 2000 European Cup B-Pool, the Confederation of European Baseball (CEB) Secretary General Gaston Panaye described Brighton as "the best British club side in forty years".
One of the winningest managers in British history, these accomplishments were achieved with a predominantly British roster that included five future British Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, 18 national team members, and four who played professionally in the U.S. Additionally, the native-born Brightoner secured multiple grants to build Brighton’s Pavilion Field, which became one of the top facilities in the country.
"It's such an incredible honour to have been balloted for the British Baseball Hall of Fame and elected as a first-year inductee," said Savage. "I can't quite believe that I am to be listed in a category alongside such historical influences on the game as Sir Francis Ley from the late 1890s and Sir John Moores from the 1930s, both of whom were responsible for investing heavily in the sport at a time when baseball was drawing significant crowds and enjoying huge exposure to the British public. This recognition is for all my colleagues and our players who were part of an incredible journey."
BBHOF Chair Gabriel Fidler commented: "In sport, it is easy to focus on the star player, but it is the game builder, the organiser, the coach, the fundraiser, that paves the way for athletic success. Our two inductees, Charlie Muirhead and Craig Savage, worked tirelessly to foster grassroots baseball, the former in his adopted home, the latter in the town of his birth."
A total of 52 men and women are now enshrined in the BBHOF for their excellent contributions to British baseball.
Details of the 2023 British Baseball Hall of Fame induction festivities will be released at a later date.
