Hitting Home with Literacy

It was an amazing moment.

Bottom of the ninth inning, game 7 of the World Series and the Arizona Diamondbacks were losing to the New York Yankees. At bat was Tony Womack, former Guilford Quaker. A 93-mph heater whizzed by, followed by a foul into the seats. A deep breath, swing of the bat and Womack became Tony Womack, World Series hero. Called the most important hit of the series, Womack nailed it down the right-field line and tied the game. Two batters later, the Diamondbacks won the World Series. The fans chanted "To- ny! To- ny!" as the celebration began.

From Chatham, Va., Womack didn't have "World Series hero" on his list of future goals when he was at Guilford.

"As a small school, Guilford helped me develop humility. I came for the education and the experience, not the exposure. Sometimes you can push yourself better when you're not in the limelight. Guilford helped me keep a balance. "

At Guilford, Womack was the Quakers' leading offensive player as a freshman and was the Most Valuable Player by his senior year. He set a team record for stolen bases in a season (22 in 1991).

After earning his degree in sport management, Womack made his major-league debut in 1993 as a pinch runner for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He spent the next three seasons playing at both Triple- A and in the majors. By 1997 he was in the big leagues for good, and that season he led the National League in stolen bases with 60 and was named an All-Star. He was traded to Arizona in 2000 and led the National League in steals for the third straight year with a career-high 72 that year.

It was in Pittsburgh that Womack created a literacy program for young kids. Today, Womack is using his big league name to do some good for disadvantaged kids in the Diamondbacks' hometown of Phoenix. His Cover-to-Cover literacy program encourages kids in elementary and middle school to become passionate about reading.

Each month, Womack plays host for one class at a Diamondbacks home game where the kids get a t-shirt, an autograph and a chance to meet their hero. "If we can change the lives of 10 kids, we've succeeded," he says. "Young kids need to understand what they 're reading and decide what they want to be. In order for this world to survive, we have to push kids to get an education, go to college and graduate."

College was an important milestone for Womack and he credits Guilford for getting him where he is today, along with his wife and children, Jessica, 6, and Alsander, 2.