Long before he was known as “Big Bat Bill,” Coos Bay resident Bill Horning swung a big bat at the College World Series.

This year, Bill was honored along with the rest of his former University of Minnesota teammates as they celebrated the 50th anniversary of their 1956 national championship.

The event was doubly special as Bill and his wife, Rita, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in Omaha, Neb., with all but one of their eight children, as well as several grandchildren and other relatives.

“We had a good time,” Bill said.

The team's celebration actually stretched over a couple of days.

Before he went to Omaha, Bill joined the rest of his teammates - only one player and two coaches have died - in Minnesota, where they were honored by the Twins on June 14, the anniversary of their championship.

“All the players were on the field,” Bill said. “They introduced everybody.”

That wasn't the case in Omaha, where only Bill and teammate Jerry Kindall were honored, introduced during a game the first evening of the week-long tournament.

Bill was the captain of the Minnesota squad. Kindall went on to become coach at the University of Arizona, adding three titles to the one he won as a player.

Trips to the College World Series are regular events for Bill, who has traveled nationwide with an oversized bat he has - hence the nickname “Big Bat Bill” - but this one was special.

Bill has been back to the College World Series seven times in the last 11 years. The 50th wedding anniversary added to the experience this year and brought back memories of that June long ago.

The family had breakfast together the morning of the Hornings' anniversary, and probably will have another celebration later this month when Brad, the second-youngest of Bill and Rita's eight children and North Bend's head baseball, gets married.

As Rita Horning recalls, the wedding almost didn't happen on the planned date.

Long before the College World Series in 1956, Bill went to his coach and asked when the series was, because he didn't want the wedding date to be a conflict - never mind that there was no guarantee the Gophers would even reach the pinnacle of college baseball.

The eventual bride and groom picked June 16, figuring that would give them a couple of days after the event to make sure Bill could get back to South Dakota in time for the wedding.

But then the games were rained out one day at the World Series.

“If it got rained out a second time, we probably wouldn't have gotten married (on June 16),” Rita said.

Bill flew back into Minnesota with the team just in time to pack the car with a brother and head for South Dakota.

As it was, they got to Watertown, S.D., after the courthouse closed and they still needed their wedding license.

Fortunately, Bill's mom, Harriett, was the register of deeds and Wally Farley, the county clerk, was a family friend and willing to open the office after hours.

Bill and Rita got the license, had the rehearsal and were married at 9 a.m. the next morning.

“It all worked out,” Bill said.

Just as it had all worked out in the championship game for the Gophers.

Bill set several College World Series records in the game, a 12-1 victory over Arizona. He had two home runs, a record that since has been tied by two other players, though Bill points out his homers came with wood bats. He also drove in five runs and had 10 total bases, the one record that still stands.

For Bill, there is no event quite like the College World Series.

“It's the greatest event around,” he said, adding that many fans stay all week as the field of eight teams is whittled down to an eventual champion.

“The fans are fantastic. Omaha does a fantastic job putting it on,” he said.

But his travels take him many places besides Omaha as he adds to his collection of signatures on little myrtlewood plates that he can rotate in and out of the 11-foot-9-inch bat as he sees fit.

The autographs include many baseball greats, both from the college and pro games. One picture he has that is sure to become a collectible is Oregon State coach Pat Casey, signing a plate for the bat - the Beavers, of course, were this year's champions.

Bill also has his so-called “on-deck circle” for celebrities including actors such as Kevin Costner, who starred in the baseball movie “Field of Dreams,” other athletes, such as golf legend Arnold Palmer, and even Peanuts creator Charles Schulz.

“I just wander around and have a good time,” Bill said. “If it turns out to be a job, I have to quit.”

Bill has had little trouble getting baseball greats to sign his plaques, just as he had little trouble having a good time during this year's celebration of Minnesota's 1956 championship.

“It has been fun,” he said. “Now, I just have to wait for the next 50.”