Mike Neill
Encyclopedia
Michael Robert "Mike" Neill (born April 27, 1970 in Martinsville, Virginia
) is a former Major League Baseball
and Olympic
baseball player. His baseball career included a stint with the Oakland Athletics
and ended with the Olympic
Gold Medal team in the 2000 games in Sydney
, Australia
. He was named Delaware Athlete of the Year in 2000. At Villanova University
he compiled a .417 career batting average, led the Wildcats to the 1989 and 1991 Big East Conference crowns and was named 1991 Big East Player of the Year. He established team records: 232 hits, 53 doubles and 379 total bases and several single season records.
Neill won two Minor League
batting championships and had a .307 batting average over 11 years. He was selected to 4 All-Star teams and was a key player in the Vancouver Canadians
' 1999 AAA World Series victory. He was called up by the Oakland Athletics
in but was sidelined with an injury. Neill led the 2000 USA Olympics team to a 4-0 win over Cuba in the gold medal game with a 1st inning home run and a dramatic sliding catch in the 9th inning. His walk off homer against Japan won the team's 1st round Olympic contest. During the 1999 Pan American Games
he had the game winning hit to clinch the Olympic berth for his USA team.
Neill has spent the past 6 years as a financial adviser, currently with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Philadelphia. In 2005, He was inducted into the Delaware
Hall of Fame. And in 2007, he was inducted into the Villanova
Hall of Fame.
Neil currently resides in Radnor, Pennsylvania
.
Martinsville, Virginia
Martinsville is an independent city which is surrounded by Henry County, Virginia, United States. The population was 13,821 in 2010. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Martinsville with Henry County for statistical purposes...
) is a former Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
and Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
baseball player. His baseball career included a stint with the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
and ended with the Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
Gold Medal team in the 2000 games in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He was named Delaware Athlete of the Year in 2000. At Villanova University
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
he compiled a .417 career batting average, led the Wildcats to the 1989 and 1991 Big East Conference crowns and was named 1991 Big East Player of the Year. He established team records: 232 hits, 53 doubles and 379 total bases and several single season records.
Neill won two Minor League
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
batting championships and had a .307 batting average over 11 years. He was selected to 4 All-Star teams and was a key player in the Vancouver Canadians
Vancouver Canadians
The Vancouver Canadians are a minor league baseball team located in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Canadians are the Northwest League affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The C's have previously affiliated with the Oakland Athletics between 2000-2010. They are the only Canadian team in the...
' 1999 AAA World Series victory. He was called up by the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
in but was sidelined with an injury. Neill led the 2000 USA Olympics team to a 4-0 win over Cuba in the gold medal game with a 1st inning home run and a dramatic sliding catch in the 9th inning. His walk off homer against Japan won the team's 1st round Olympic contest. During the 1999 Pan American Games
1999 Pan American Games
The 1999 Pan American Games, officially the XIII Pan American Games or the 13th Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event that was held from July 23-August 8, 1999 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Approximately 5,000 athletes from 42 nations participated at the games. The 1999...
he had the game winning hit to clinch the Olympic berth for his USA team.
Neill has spent the past 6 years as a financial adviser, currently with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Philadelphia. In 2005, He was inducted into the Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
Hall of Fame. And in 2007, he was inducted into the Villanova
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
Hall of Fame.
Neil currently resides in Radnor, Pennsylvania
Radnor, Pennsylvania
Radnor is a wealthy Main Line township. It is an unincorporated community in Radnor Township of Delaware County and Tredyffrin Township of Chester County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It lies near the communities of Villanova and St...
.