ED GRUIDEL

Class of 1959
​Inducted in 2014

Ed was inducted into the SHSAA Packer Sports Greats in 2014.

Ed Gruidel lettered four years in baseball and three years in basketball at SHS. He was Honorable Mention All-City in baseball in 1958 and All-City in 1959. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1958 and signed a professional baseball contract right out of high school. Ed played for the Dodger farm teams for two years – in 1959 in Odessa, TX and in 1960 in Kokomo, IN. Ed had a fond memory of having lunch with Mickey Mantle during spring training.

After ending his baseball career, he attended Omaha University and then Arizona State University, obtaining a degree in Industrial Engineering. Ed worked for IBM for 22 years, and then created “Audio Adventures” which rented audio books to customers. He traveled throughout the United States to include them in travel marts nationwide.

​Ed passed away February 2013. His family accepted his award at the banquet.