Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2007
- Class:
- 1983
One of the top players in Creighton baseball history, Michael Finley, enters the Athletic Hall of Fame for his work on the diamond and in the classroom.
A versatile player, Finley saw time in the outfield, first base, and catcher during his career from 1980-83. He played in 229 games at Creighton and was a key cog in a line-up that helped produce three seasons of 32 wins or more and four consecutive winning records.
He batted .340 or better all four years and ranks among Creighton's all-time leaders on the top 10 career lists for batting average (.353, sixth), runs (202, fourth), hits (249, tied for sixth), RBI (214, first), slugging percentage (.589, 10th), home runs (36, third) and total bases (415, fifth). His 36 career homers stood as the school record until 1998, while his 214 RBI remains a school record to this day.
A first-team all-Valley selection in 1981, Finley had 19 homers during his sophomore season. His 19 dingers smashed the previous Bluejay single-season mark of nine. He was also a second-team all-MVC choice in 1982 after hitting .353 with five homers, 18 stolen bases, and 49 RBI.
In the classroom, Finley was an honor roll student at Creighton, and he received the Rev. Carl M. Reinert Scholar-Athlete Award as a senior. He played for coaches Jerry Bartee and Dave Underwood at Creighton.
Finley hails from the same Cincinnati high school as fellow Creighton Athletic Hall of Famers Tom Apke and Rick Apke. Nowadays, he is the President of the West Region and a Senior VP at Sprint Nextel. He and his wife, Susan, reside in Kansas City and have sons Brian, Danny, Jack and Kevin.
