BLACK HISTORY FALCON FACTS: Baseball Legend And Major League Coach Razor Shines

RALEIGH, N.C. (Feb. 27) – Anthony Razor Shines has one of the best sports names ever.

It aptly fits him. Shines was sharp on the baseball field.

A teenage phenom from Durham, N.C., Shines was drafted in high school by a major league team. He was that good.

The Durham High product decided to go to Louisburg (N.C.) Junior College instead. He then transferred to Saint Augustine's University.

The Falcons were fortunate to land him. The standout slugger led the team in many offensive categories, including hits, batting average, home runs, RBIs, and doubles.

Major League Baseball came calling again in 1978. The Montreal Expos drafted Shine as a college junior, and he established a long career in the sport as a player and manager.

After four years with the Expos as a catcher and first baseman, Shine joined the Triple A Indianapolis Indians and became a fan favorite. He helped the Indians win four straight league championships in the 1980s.

Shines was so popular that the Indians held "Razor Shines Night" in 2006 when the Charlotte Knights, managed by Shines, played them in Indianapolis.

As a minor league manager, Shines won over 500 games in seven seasons and was chosen Southern League Manager of the Year with the Birmingham Barons in 2005.

Once again, Major League Baseball took notice, this time for his coaching skills. Shines enjoyed stints with the Chicago White Sox and New York Mets as a position coach.

During his fabulous baseball career, Shines never forgot about Saint Augustine's. He is still close friends with his teammates, and the institution is close to his heart.

(By the way, Razor is his middle name)

Below is a Q&A with Shines:

What are your fondest memories of playing college baseball at Saint Augustine's?

The first and foremost memory is the team was a brotherhood. To this day, there are six or seven guys who stay in touch with each other. We take trips all the time.

The other memory was the time we played Elon. There was a scoreboard above the right field wall. We were stretching, getting loose near a lady placing cards on the scoreboard. I said, 'hey, I am going to hit a home run right over your head.' She said, 'right' (sarcastically). Later in the game, I hit a home run over the right field wall. After the game, she came down and asked for my autograph. She said nobody has ever said to me that they would hit a home run and do it. My teammates and I still talk about it.

How did Saint Augustine's prepare you for a professional baseball career as a player and manager?

As a player, it prepared me because of the competition. You had to battle just to win a position on the team. Those guys were that good. In major league baseball, they draft the best of the best. You have to compete to keep your job. I was prepared to play against the best.

As a manager, it was Coach [J.H.] Twitty. He didn't treat everybody the same, but he was fair to each player. I wanted to treat my player the same way he treated his and get that respect.

What would you tell prospective student-athletes about Saint Aug?

I would say to them that Saint Augustine's offers a good education and great experience; it doesn't matter what career you want to pursue. You can look at the alumni here who have been successful, not only in athletics, but in the world. If you come for athletics, be ready to compete because there are a lot of good athletes.

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