University of Georgia Athletics
Bulldogs Welcome Lettermen Back, Honor The Late Mike Rebhan
May 04, 2019 | Baseball
ATHENS-----Fans will want to be in their seats by 1:40 p.m. Saturday at Foley Field as ninth-ranked Georgia will hold its annual Lettermen's Day before the Bulldogs battle Florida.
Lettermen from as far back as the 1950s will be welcomed back to Foley Field, and this year Georgia honors the memory of Mike Rebhan, the 1990 College World Series Most Outstanding Player, who passed away in February due to cancer. Rebhan's wife, Trish, and their three children along with their families will be in attendance. Ten of Rebhan's teammates on Georgia's 1990 national championship team will be back too.
In the 1990 CWS, Rebhan tossed two complete games to beat Stanford. His second win over the Cardinal propelled the Bulldogs to the national championship game where they beat Oklahoma State. A native of Rockville, Maryland, he played high school and junior college baseball in Florida. He arrived at Georgia with Trish, and in two years with the Bulldogs, he won 20 games with 12 complete games, a no-hitter and a National Title. He did not pursue a career in professional baseball but instead focused on his family and enjoyed a successful career as a software engineer in Vero Beach.
One of the annual highlights from Lettermen's Day include the special awards presented to former Bulldogs. The 2019 Charley Trippi Distinguished Letterman Award goes to a Bulldog in recognition of his generous support, interest and special commitment to UGA Baseball. This honor is awarded to a former student-athlete who made his mark on the playing fields and has carried those lessons into life as an extraordinary, contributing and successful citizen. Also, the Tom Cousins Outstanding Athletic Achievement Award goes to a Bulldog who has distinguished himself on the playing field, and his performance, leadership and integrity inspires present and future players to give their all to win at the highest level.
The 2019 recipient of the Charley Trippi Distinguished Letterman Award is Edwin Hill. A native of Statesboro, he was a three-year letterman as a first baseman in the early 1970s for Big Jim Whatley. After earning a bachelor's and a master's degree from UGA, he joined the firm of Dabbs, Hickman, Hill and Cannon Certified Public Accountants in 1980 and became a partner in 1983. He was inducted into the Statesboro High School Hall of Fame and is a member of the University of Georgia G-Club and Gridiron. He is heavily involved in numerous community service organizations including the Boys & Girls Club of Bulloch County, the United Way of Southeast Georgia, the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club of Statesboro and served two terms as a member of the Bulloch County Board of Education. Edwin and his wife, Anita, reside in Statesboro.
There are two recipients of the 2019 Tom Cousins Athletic Achievement Award. They are Bob O'Callaghan and Donn Perno. Callaghan was a three-year letterman as an outfielder in the 1960s under Coach Jim Whatley. He served as team captain in 1966 and earned All-SEC honors that year including hitting .348. The Austell native still ranks sixth all-time in Georgia history for Career Triples. He served as head baseball and basketball coach at North Springs. He is a member of the South Cobb Hall of Fame. He spent 39 years with the Dealers Supply Company. Bob and his wife, Donna, reside in Austell.
Perno was a standout infielder and two-year letterman in the 1980 sunder Coach Steve Webber. He earned All-SEC and All-Regional honors in 1987 as part Georgia's first-ever College World Series team. A career .297 hitter with 30 doubles, 18 home runs and 66 RBI, he was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 1987. After baseball, the Athens native opted to pursue a golfing career and eventually played on the PGA Tour. Currently, he's a PGA Professional at Peachtree Golf Club in Atlanta. Donn and his wife Lane and their two children reside in Atlanta.
Game two of the sold-out Georgia-Florida series will begin Saturday at 2:02 p.m. (SEC Network+).
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Sunday, May 31