The University of Montevallo honored members of the first Falcon baseball team in a special celebration Saturday, April 26, at the Kermit A. Johnson Field on the University of Montevallo campus.

The oldest intercollegiate athletic program at the University of Montevallo, the Falcon baseball program celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2008.

Former UM players traversing the five-decade history of the program were invited to take part in the celebration.

The inaugural team, under the direction of Frank Lightfoot, emerged in the spring of 1958 at then Alabama College, just two years after the institution became co-educational in 1956. When the program started, no scholarships were offered. The team roster was filled with mostly local players playing a handful of games. The team practiced on an open field where Fuller Hall currently stands.

What is now known as Kermit A. Johnson Field, a former cotton field and farming area rising just above Shoal Creek, was constructed and completed midway through the first season. For the first few home games in 1958, the team played games near Montevallo High School.