Baseball (1986-88)
Benny Colvard’s summer in Durant left a lasting impression on the Southeastern Oklahoma State record books and led to a professional baseball career for the Hartshorne, Oklahoma native.
Born in McAlester, Okla. on Aug. 17, 1966, he attended Hartshorne Public Schools near McAlester, Oklahoma where he was an outstanding high school baseball and football player.
Following graduation in 1984, Benny enrolled at Eastern Oklahoma State College in Wilburton, Oklahoma where he spent his freshman season before transferring to Southeastern Oklahoma State.
Colvard’s bat skills and speed were quickly apparent as he earned NAIA second-team All-America honors as a sophomore. He carried a .412 batting average while accounting for 10 doubles, six triples and eight home runs to drive in 43 runs. He also should prowess on the base paths stealing 46 bases in 52 attempts.
After seeing his numbers slip in his junior season although he was still a first-team All-Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference selection, Benny rededicated himself by staying on campus the summer before his senior season.
Colvard added muscle resulting in one of Southeastern’s most prolific individual seasons.
Benny crushed 24 home runs and drove in 85 runners while hitting .411 and stealing 34 bases to earn Oklahoma Collegiate Conference Most Valuable Player honors and was named to the NAIA All American first team.
In his three years as a Savage, he ranked second in career home runs, third in stolen bases, fourth in runs scored and fifth in all-time runs batted in. He was named to the All-OIC first team three times, earned NAIA District 9 Player of the Year and was Southeastern’s Most Outstanding Athlete in 1988.
Colvard was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds following his senior year and he played five years in their farm system, reaching the AAA level before spending a season in the Kansas City organization at the AA level. He retired from baseball in 1993.
Benny Colvard was a great collegiate baseball player. He brought great honor to the university. On February 3, 2007, Southeastern Oklahoma State University honored Benny Colvard with induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame.
