University of West Alabama Athletics

Jeff Branson, a 1985 graduate of Southern Choctaw High School in Silas, Ala., came to UWA on just a Tuition and Books scholarship and ended up one of the most decorated athletes in school history. He was voted to the All-GSC Baseball Team at shortstop for three years and was a First Team All-American selection in 1988. He hit an amazing .435 as a senior and was chosen to the 1988 United States Olympic Baseball Team that won a Gold Medal at the Seoul, South Korea Games. He was a first round draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds and played 694 games over 10 seasons in the majors, including the 1997 World Series with the Cleveland Indians.