Limestone Honors Tony Walker With Randy M. Hines Alumni Of The Year Award

Limestone University and Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Mike Cerino presented former baseball player Tony Walker with the 2020 Randy M. Hines Athletics Alumni of the Year Award during a special ceremony earlier this week in the Dave and Nancy Riling Hall of Fame Room.

The award was announced during Limestone’s Virtual Awards Ceremony this past summer but was unable to be handed out as normal due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Walker was on campus this week to help present the Diamond Resorts’ Gaylord Perry Scholarship Award to senior baseball player Brian Forbes, making it an excellent opportunity for the Athletics Department to make the presentation.

Walker, who is the Executive Vice President for Global Sales & Marketing at Diamond Resorts, played for the Saints on the diamond in the early years of the program (1998-1992). He was recruited by Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry to play on the inaugural Limestone baseball team, and promptly helped guide the Blue and Gold to four 20-win seasons over the first five years of competition.

“Tony is truly deserving of this award for all he has done for Limestone and the Athletics Department since he graduated,” said Cerino. “He has been influential in planning and implementing the Gaylord Perry Scholarship in honor of Limestone baseball’s first coach, in addition to forming a lasting partnership with the University to provide internship and mentorship opportunities for our entire student body.”

Dozens of Limestone University students have been selected to participate in the internship program over the past couple of years. Interns gain experience in a few different areas, including quality assurance, sales, human resources, and global support, among others at Diamond Resort properties.

The Randy M. Hines Athletics Alumni of the Year Award recognizes a former Limestone student-athlete who has given back their time and resources to support the betterment and continued success of Limestone Athletics. Walker is the sixth former student-athlete to be honored with the award since 2014.