UIC Hall of Famer Curtis Granderson traded to New York Yankees

NEW YORK -- UIC Athletics Hall of Famer Curtis Granderson will move to Major League Baseball's biggest stage after the former Flames baseball star was traded from the Detroit Tigers to the 2009 World Series champion New York Yankees last week.

The three-team trade involving the Yankees, Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks was agreed upon at the beginning of the 2009 Baseball Winter Meetings in Indianapolis and officially completed two days later.

Granderson played for the Tigers for four full seasons and was named to the American League All-Star Team this past summer. After the 2009 campaign, he was named the Marvin Miller Man of the Year by his peers for his efforts on and off the field. He also played a major role in the Tigers' 2006 American League Championship season.

In three seasons at UIC (2000-02), Granderson hit .350 and set the Flames' career record for runs with 178. He also holds the single-season school record for batting average after hitting .483 in 2002, the second-best average in the nation that season.

He was named the Horizon League Player of the Year and a Second Team All-American by Baseball America in 2002.

On Jan. 13, 2008, Granderson was inducted into the UIC Athletics Hall of Fame for his achievements.

Granderson will be the second UIC grad currently in the Yankees organization. Right-hander Ryan Zink was a NYY draft pick in 2007 and pitched for the High-A Tampa Yankees this past season. Other former Flames to play for the Yankees organization since 1997 include Jason Henry, Steve Carlson, Kevin Nelson and Jordan DeVoir.

Release courtesy of UIC Sports Information Director John Jaramillo