Tidewater Shrine to Induct Three in 2024 Class

The Norfolk Tides today announced that Marty Miller, Christy Mathewson and Marvin Astor “Towny” Townsend are being inducted into the Tidewater Baseball Shrine. The Tidewater Baseball Shrine recognizes players and executives who have significantly contributed to the game of baseball in the Tidewater area. The Tides will induct the three new members between their doubleheader vs. Jacksonville on Friday, July 26^th at Harbor Park. Miller is expected to be in attendance, while Townsend’s family will accept his award for him.

MARTY MILLER joined the Norfolk State community as a student athlete and became a staple within the Spartan community with a career that has spanned nearly 50 years. As a player, Miller was the First Spartan baseball player to become an NCAA College Division All-American. He posted a .380 batting average as a sophomore, .438 batting average as a junior and .406 batting average as a senior and was an All-CIAA baseball selection in 1967 and 1968. He also led the nation in doubles as a senior in 1968. Following graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army during the Vietnam War. Miller was stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas and specialized in air defense artillery. He served for nearly two years before he signed a professional contract with the Minnesota Twins during the 1970-71 season. Miller was named the head baseball coach at Norfolk State in 1973 and held the role until 2005, when he was promoted to Director of Intercollegiate Athletics for the Spartans. While coaching, Miller led Norfolk State to 712 wins in his 32-plus year career and is the winningest coach in program history.

CHRISTY MATHEWSON attended Bucknell University and played on the school’s baseball and football teams. He signed his first pro baseball contract in 1899 – a rarity for a college-educated player in that era. Following his first professional season with the Taunton Herrings, Phenomenal Smith recruited Mathewson to the Norfolk Phenoms, after he finished playing football at Bucknell University. Smith first met and played against Matthewson in the 1899 season. Seeing his potential at the age of 19, Smith signed Matthewson to a contract in 1900 to play for Norfolk. With Norfolk and Smith, Mathewson greatly improved as a pitcher. He posted an 18–2 season, leading the league in wins and strikeouts (121). Following the Phenoms folding in the 1900 season, Mathewson was called up to the major leagues by the New York Giants. He went on to play 17 seasons in the Majors, finishing with 373 wins against just 188 losses – a figure that leaves him tied with Grover Cleveland Alexander for the most wins in National League history and third-most all-time.

TOWNY TOWNSEND was a two-time All-Conference performer at College of Albemarle in Elizabeth City, NC, where he captained the nationally ranked teams in 1972 and 1973. During his two years of junior college, he was drafted in the second round by the California Angels and again after his second year in the first round of the secondary phase by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He opted to attend Campbell University, where he led them in his junior year to the most wins in school history. In his junior season of 1974, Townsend was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the first round of the secondary phase and played briefly in their minor league system before returning to Norfolk to start his coaching career that covered over 30 years. Townsend founded the first baseball camps in the state of Virginia in 1977 and ran camps every year for 30 years. Referred to as the founding father of AAU baseball in Virginia, he founded the Virginia Blaster baseball club in 1992 for ages 10-15. Towny became the youngest head coach in college baseball at Virginia Wesleyan in 1977-78, leading the Marlins to conference titles in his first two years. In addition, Townsend coached at his alma mater, Lake Taylor, where he turned around a program that was 3-48 the previous three years, leading them to 101-39 over eight seasons. In 2000, he became the head coach at Greenbrier Christian Academy where he was named TCIS conference coach of the year twice and captured four straight league titles. In 2001, Greenbrier Christian won the state championship, and he was selected Virginia Coach of the Year for private schools.

Ticket Information

Single game tickets start at $16 for Reserved Seats, with Box Seats available for $17. The Tides also offer special discounts to students through high school, active military with ID and senior citizens (60 & over). These special discounts are available in the Lower and Upper Reserved sections and can be purchased for $14. Children under two years old are admitted free of charge. Fans can purchase individual game tickets on norfolktides.com. Fans can also purchase 2024 ticketing plans, including season tickets, by reaching 757-622-2222. Fans should follow the Tides on social media and at norfolktides.com for the most up-to-date information.