1997 Hall of Fame Class

The 1997 class, member by member

The 1997 inductees were Nellie Fox, Phil Niekro, and Willie Wells (players) and Tom Lasorda (manager). The Voted By column lists Veterans for Nellie Fox, Tom Lasorda, and Willie Wells. The writers' vote elected Phil Niekro; the highest tally in the table is Phil Niekro's 380 votes against 353 needed. Nellie Fox played mostly as a second baseman, for the Philadelphia Athletics, Chicago White Sox, and Houston Colt .45's. The induction of Nellie Fox came posthumously. Phil Niekro played mostly as a pitcher, for the Milwaukee Braves, Atlanta Braves, and New York Yankees. Tom Lasorda is listed as a pitcher whose clubs included the Brooklyn Dodgers and Kansas City Athletics. The St. Louis Stars, Chicago American Giants, and Detroit Wolves are where Willie Wells, a shortstop, played. Willie Wells was inducted after death, according to the player record. The profiles linked above carry the 1997 induction and the statistics behind it. Neighboring classes: 1996 class, 1998 class.