August 19, 2015 - Panola College is proud to announce the establishment of the Dave Gorrie Memorial Baseball Scholarship. The scholarship was established by family and friends in memory of Dave Gorrie.
David Franklin Gorrie was born to Franklin and Virginia (Woolley) Gorrie on October 15, 1930 in Olney, Texas. He grew up in Pasadena, California attending Pasadena City College and Santa Barbara College before joining the US Navy in 1953. Dave completed his college education in 1958, attaining a Master of Science degree in education at the University of Southern California.
Dave began a professional baseball career in 1953 when he signed with the New York Giants and was briefly assigned to the Phoenix, Arizona farm team prior to joining the Navy. He resumed his pro baseball career in 1956, signing with the Kansas City Athletics organization. He played in Seminole, OK; Crowley, LA; Columbia, SC; Rochester, MN and finally with Winona, MN before moving into the coaching ranks.
It was 1958 when Dave met and married the love of his life, Linda. The following year, he began his coaching career as an assistant football coach at UC Santa Barbara. In 1960, he became the Head Baseball Coach at UC Santa Barbara, leading teams there for 18 years, compiling a record 343-370-1. In 1979, he was hired as Head Coach of the Pepperdine Waves baseball team, taking them to the College World Series that very year. He retired from coaching at Pepperdine in 1988 with a record of 409-202-11.
Dave continued as a volunteer coach at Panola College and was a private hitting instructor in the community until 2009. Coach Gorrie is inducted into three Halls of Fame including UC Santa Barbara, Pepperdine University and the American Baseball Coaches Association. He was a member of Airport Freeway Church of Christ in Euless, TX.
The Dave Gorrie Memorial Baseball Scholarship will be awarded annually to a Panola College baseball student. The scholarship will be awarded based on academic merit. The selection of the recipient will be made in the spring each year. Applicants should contact the Office of Institutional Advancement at Panola College, 903-693-2029.
