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Spokane Indians

Former Spokane manager Tim Hulett recipient of Indians ‘Rim of Honor’

Former Spokane manager Tim Hulett fires batting practice in 2011. Hulett will be added to Indians ‘Rim of Honor’ on Thursday. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)

The Spokane Indians will honor former manager Tim Hulett as an Indians “Rim of Honor” recipient during Thursday’s pregame Opening Day ceremonies.

“Being there for 10 years and seeing all the different people being honored, I feel very honored to be a part of that group to be honored in the Rim,” Hulett said by phone this week. “It’s a pretty neat honor.”

The Indians have four permanent members of the Rim of Honor: Dwight Aden, Tommy Lasorda, Levi McCormack and Maury Wills. Hulett will be recognized this season, along with The Spokesman-Review, as the two seasonal rotating honorees.

Hulett managed the club from 2007-2016 and was Northwest League Manager of the Year twice, in 2008 following the team’s NWL championship, and again after the 2010 season, when the Indians were Eastern Division champions and NWL runners-up. His teams made the NWL playoffs in four of his 10 seasons.

Hulett is the longest tenured manager in the Indians’ 113-year history. Named manager in 2007, the Shreveport, Louisiana, native managed the Indians for a record 758 games. Hulett compiled a 371-387 record in Spokane.

Hulett was proud of the legacy he leaves in Spokane. “In baseball in general, the legacy that you usually leave is that you show up to work everyday. Showing up for work, helping young players reach for their dreams, build character, the way they conduct their business for the Spokane Indians and the Texas Rangers. I think those are the things we wanted to instill.”

Hulett also serves as the head coach at Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport. He has led the Eagles to the Louisiana 2-A State Title five times.

He was also the manager of the Philippines national team at the 2017 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers held in Sydney, Australia in February of 2016.

Hulett’s tenure in the low minor leagues was a bit unusual for a profession that generally functions on year-to-year contracts.

“I feel quite accomplished by that,” Hulett said. “Some of that has to do with that the Rangers would keep hiring me back, the Spokane Indians wanted me back as well each year. Some of it was the time of life for me.

“I’m a little bit older and I love doing the high school here in Shreveport so I didn’t really want to give up that job. The Rangers really went out of their way to make it work for me really only working three and a half, four months for them.”

As a player, Hulett was a 39th round draft pick of the Texas Rangers from Lanphier HS in Springfield, Illinois. He spent 12 season in the major leagues with the Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals. Hulett finished with a career .249 average, 48 home runs and 220 RBI over 720 MLB contests.

Hulett retired as a player as a member of the Rangers organization in late 1995 after signing a mid-season contract with the club several months earlier.