A University faculty member was recently named as a finalist for a major video production award.

Barry L. Sherman, Peabody Awards director, and Vince Benigni, a University graduate who is a faculty member at the College of Charleston, were chosen as finalists in The Vision Award competition for 1999.

They were nationally recognized among the best local and regional video presentations created by advertising agencies, production studios and television stations throughout the nation. The video they scripted and co-produced is on baseball Hall of Famer Ty Cobb.

Sherman and Benigni were approached by the Ty Cobb Museum of Royston — Cobb’s hometown — to depict one of the most controversial players in the history of baseball.

The documentary was created to continuously air in the museum as its spectators view Cobb memorabilia.

‘The excellent portrayal of Cobb puts a lump in my throat every time I hear the opening music of the documentary,’ said Julie Ridgway, curator of the museum and a distant relative of Cobb.

The two professors also presented the business savvy of Cobb.

‘When many baseball players of his time suffered from bankruptcy and alcoholism, Cobb was one of the first athletes to become an investor into franchises and companies like Coca Cola,’ Sherman said.

‘He created one of the biggest hospitals in Georgia outside of the Atlanta area — Cobb Memorial Hospital — and helped many of his teammates financially.

‘Many people knew Ty Cobb as a racist,’ Sherman said. ‘However, few people chose to recognize the scholarships he provided for minorities and others that were less fortunate than he.’

Production and editing of the project took place in the summer of 1998 with the cooperation of Coca Cola, the Atlanta Braves and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

‘The biggest joy of creating this documentary occurred when the museum opened and the documentary was presented,’ Sherman said. ‘The family of Ty Cobb was moved to tears because it was the best portrayal of him.’

The film was narrated by radio broadcaster Larry Munson, the voice of the Georgia Bulldogs.

More information on Cobb can be found on the museum’s Web site (www.tycobbmuseum.org).