George Brett the featured speaker at 37th annual Bobby Dolan Baseball Dinner

Hall of Famer George Brett, a 13-time major-league All-Star, is the featured guest speaker at the 37th annual Bobby Dolan Baseball Dinner, the Wolf Pack announced Friday. The annual event will be held Jan. 20 at the Silver Legacy Reno Ballroom.

Brett had a standout career after spending 21 seasons with the Kansas City Royals and is regarded as one of the best hitters of his era. Brett was named the 1980 American League MVP and is a three-time Silver Slugger winner, which is awarded annually to the best offensive player at each position. He led the AL in batting average three times, including in 1976 (.333), 1980 (.390) and 1990 (.329).

Brett's 3,154 career hits are the most by any third baseman in big-league history. Brett became the fourth player to record at least 3,000 hits, 300 home runs and post a .300 batting average, joining Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Stan Musial. Brett was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999 after receiving 98.2 percent of the votes, which was the fourth-highest voting percentage in Hall of Fame history at the time, trailing Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan and Ty Cobb.

“The Bobby Dolan Baseball Dinner is one of our favorite traditions, and we are excited to have Hall of Famer George Brett join us as our guest speaker this year,” Wolf Pack head baseball coach TJ Bruce said in a news release. “Nevada baseball is honored to have George there. We’re looking forward to having everybody back at this event, and we hope to see all of you come out and celebrate with us.”

The event benefits the Nevada baseball team. Tickets start at $200 per person and $350 for VIP tickets, which includes an exclusive meet and greet and private reception with Brett. Tables for 10 will also be available. Tickets are available for purchase online at 775-682-6973 or by emailing kima@unr.edu. RSVP by Jan. 14 if you are planning on attending. The VIP reception will begin at 4:30 p.m. Cocktail hour begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner scheduled to begin an hour later.