ATLANTA — Georgia Tech Hall of Famer and Major League Baseball pitcher Jim Poole has died.
Poole died Friday at 57. He was diagnosed with ALS two years ago. His legacy at Georgia Tech still shines among the Yellow Jackets.
Joining the team in 1985, he helped win four consecutive ACC tournament championships. During his time with Georgia Tech, he pitched in 120 games and struck out 263 batters in 188 innings, according to the school.
He was named all-ACC his last two seasons and was inducted into the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.
The Dodgers picked him up during the 1988 MLB draft after his senior year during the ninth round. He would return to graduate from Tech with a degree in electrical engineering in 1990.
Poole played 11 years in the major leagues with the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians and San Francisco Giants. He helped pitch Cleveland to two American League Championship Series in 1995 and 1998. With the team, he made it to the World Series in 1995 where he would face the Atlanta Braves.
He retired at the end of the 2000 season and returned to his alma mater to join the Alexander-Tharpe Fund as a fundraiser and supporter of Tech's baseball program. Poole also became a pitching coach at Johns Creek High School in 2010.
After being diagnosed with ALS in 2021, Poole made it his mission to raise awareness for the disease. He served on MLB ALS boards and with Tech to host an ALS Awareness Day.
Tech solidified Poole's legacy with his iconic No. 21, bestowing it upon a student-athlete who exemplifies Poole's ideals: self-determination, strong academic work ethic, and high moral fiber on and off the field.
Poole is survived by his wife, Kim, three children and two grandchildren.
