Baseball great Cal Ripken Jr. to keynote MSU conference

Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. is scheduled to keynote Missouri State University’s spring public affairs conference.

Ripken, who retired from baseball in 2001 after 21 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, is slated to speak at 8 p.m. April 14 at JQH Arena, according to a news release.

The MSU Foundation also is holding a reception prior to the keynote address at $1,000 a person, which includes an autographed baseball, personal visit and photo with Ripken. The conference keynote is free and open to the public, but tickets are required to attend.

During his baseball career, Ripken became one of only eight players in history to reach 400 home runs and 3,000 hits. In 1995, Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s MLB record by playing 2,130 consecutive games and, in 1996, surpassed Japanese player Sachio Kinugasa’s streak of 2,215 straight games. Ripken voluntarily ended his streak on Sept. 20, 1998, after 2,632 games. He started and ended his career at third base but became known for his work at shortstop, according to the release.

“Mr. Ripken will address elements of ethical citizenship and perseverance – the strong will to succeed, to be consistent and to have conviction,” MSU Foundation Executive Director Brent Dunn said in the release.

Ripken was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 29, 2007.

His post-MLB life continues to focus on baseball. Prior to retiring, Ripken started a baseball complex in his hometown of Aberdeen, Md., which comprises Ripken Stadium and Ripken Youth Baseball Stadium. The former is home to the Aberdeen IronBirds, the minor league affiliate of the Orioles. The academy hosts camps and tournaments, as well as the Cal Ripken World Series for 11- and 12-year-olds, the release said.[[In-content Ad]]